Difficulties
by Blakedawson76
Summary: Asahina Louis always knew he wasn t the most masculine-looking male in his family, but to be mistaken for a woman? That was something new. So Kazuhiko liked him when he thought he was a woman, will he still now that he knows he s a man? Unfortunately, Kazuhiko does, and Louis doesn t know what to do. What do you do when you re a man and you have a male admirer? Yaoi. Louis x OC.
1. Chapter 1: Crush

I´m making this fanfic for two reasons: First, I love Louis, he´s my favorite Brothers Conflict character. Second, I come from a yaoi community, and it´s impossible for me not to think of what a wonderful boyfriend Louis would make another guy if we just put Ema aside... so that´s what I´m gonna do here. Ema is in the story, but not as a love interest, but as a _sister._ The rest is Louis story... :D Please let me know what you think!

**Chapter 1: Crush**

Ryoko came to his house with her face drenched in tears. The vision was so unusual and scary Kazuhiko didn't know what to do. He could count on one hand the times he´d seen his sister cry and have two fingers left. On top of that, she´d never allowed him to comfort her before, so he felt inadequate and useless as he saw her crumble down in the couch at his apartment.

She´d been at it for about fifteen minutes now: head between her hands, her whole body shaking with violence, her sobs audible. It was a pitiful sight, really, not that he would ever say that to her face.

Instead, he looked down at the glass of water she´d rejected when she first arrived and waited for her to calm down. He knew she would talk when she was ready.

Finally, after another five minutes of crying, Ryoko raised her face and said, "Give me the glass of water."

He handed it to her… and waited again.

She gulped it down, took a deep breath and sighed.

"Are you alright, nee-san?" he ventured to ask.

"Of course not, you idiot. I´m not alright."

"… Alright. What happened?"

"And now you ask. Honestly, men are can be so standoffish."

Kazuhiko rolled his eyes. "Nee-san, don't you go and dump all your anger on me. I know you´re mad but it isn't my fault since I don't even know what happened."

Ryoko hiccupped. "I suppose you´re right," she mumbled, took a deep breath and said, "my wedding is ruined, otouto! Ruined! Absolutely and completely ruined." She hiccupped again.

Kazuhiko rubbed his temples. "Okay. Why?"

She took a deep breath, looked at him with puppy-dog eyes, then proceeded to tell him how the hairdressing and makeup company she´d hired for the event had cancelled on her for a higher-profile wedding. They had only called her to say they couldn't arrange neither her nor her bridesmaids and they didn't have anyone available to attend her.

When she finished, Kazuhiko said, "So? Hire another company."

"It isn't so easy! The wedding is in a damn week and you can´t get a replacement in so little time. It isn't something you can choose with ease. You have to have at least two rehearsals to make sure the company knows what you want and they would have to match the style of the dress and…"

"I get it, I get it. Don't panic again."

"Kaz! I´m going nuts."

"Well, then talk with Isao-san and not with me. I´m not the one you´ll marry."

"_I know that_, you dummy! I came to you because I want to ask for your help."

"I can´t do anything for you."

Ryoko gave him a look. "Yes you can," she said, tone firm.

He frowned. "What?"

"Your crush. She´s a hairdresser, right? I want to talk to her."

Kazuhiko blinked, then felt a slight heat on his cheeks and knew they were red. "You can´t talk to her," he said.

"Why? Because you haven't either? That's not my problem, you know. I´m not to blame for the fact you only watch her through the window."

"Nee-san, I don't mean it that way, it´s that it wouldn't make sense if you went and talked to her as if you know her when you've never even gone into her salon."

"Then you talk to her."

"If I haven't done it before I sure as hell won´t now," he said, horrified.

Ryoko gritted her teeth. "Yes you will, Akiyama Kazuhiko. You`ll do it for your sister´s wedding, the one who cares for you like a mother and the one who`s helping you with college right you. You`ll do it for…"

"Damn it!" he exploded. "Fine, stop it. I´ll talk to her. I don't guarantee anything but I´ll try to get you a hairdresser."

Ryoko smiled.

He sighed, then frowned. "Wait, how come you don't want a company but you want a lone girl?"

"Ah, that's simple. If she managed to catch your eye in the first place then she must be something very special indeed. I trust your judgment, and in this case, I need it."

"Uh-huh." He snorted, not believing her words at all.

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Kazuhiko stood outside a certain salon for the tenth time that week. Literally. If he counted all the times he´d stood there for the past six months, well, let's say the number was too large.

He had to admit he was a coward because all he´d done was look at one particular hairdresser all the time and had stupidly developed a crush on her, but what could he do? From where he saw her she seemed like the prettiest thing in the world and the way she worked the costumers´ hair was a thing he admired. So he liked her but had never talked to her… now it was time to change that particular fact. For Ryoko´s sake and only for her. Or so he forced himself to believe.

Sighing, he walked away from the window and grabbed the door handle, deciding it was time to be a man and face the pretty hairdresser. It was time to stop being a coward…

As soon as he pushed the door open he was bathed in warm air and instrumental music. He also found himself the center of all the costumers inside.

He frowned right away and was about to turn back deciding to send manhood to hell when a small woman came up to him.

"Good afternoon and welcome," she said with a bow. "What can I do for you?"

"Good afternoon. I am here to talk to one of your hairdressers," he said, bowing back.

"That would mean you don't have an appointment."

"No, I don't."

"Why aren't I surprised? Well, who do you need to talk to?"

Kazuhiko scanned the salon with his eyes. When he found the pinkish-ash hair, he nodded in that direction. "Her," he said.

The woman turned to look back, then said, "Who?"

"Her. The one with the side ponytail."

"Her?" she echoed with confusion, then stammered, "O-Oh, I-I see. Wait a second, please…" She raised her voice. "¡Asahina-kun! There is someone here to see you. ¡Asahina-kun!"

Kun?

Now Kazuhiko being the one confused, he watched as Asahina-kun stopped washing some combs and made her way to the salon´s entrance. He watched as a greyish-violet eye flicked to him through a curtain of hair and then to the woman.

"Yes, Fukui-san?" came a strangely masculine voice in a soothing and alluring tone.

"This young man here is looking for you."

"Yes?" the voice repeated, a bright but empty smile crossing pale lips.

Kazuhiko stared at… at her… or was it him? Well, the features were beautiful but not feminine, the body was slender but it completely lacked breasts, and the way the hairdresser stood, the voice… could it be…?

_His crush was a man?!_

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Asahina Louis wondered who the young man in front of him was and why he had asked to talk to him. Louis was pretty sure he´d never met him. Could he be a brother´s friend? He looked around Subaru´s and his own age, so it could be a possibility, but Subaru would have told him if a friend of his needed him for something.

With mild curiosity, Louis studied him. He was a few inches taller than him, about six-feet high. He had longish light brown hair which matched his round, caramel-colored eyes and gave him an overall warm appearance. He had fair skin and sharp features that were now twisted into an expression of soft horror.

"What can I do for you?" Louis murmured, tilting his head to the side. He waited for the man to speak.

"I… er… my name is Akiyama Kazuhiko. Nice to meet you," the man said, bowing again.

"Asahina Louis." He bowed back and endured another minute of silence before prompting, "I say again, Akiyama-san. What can I do for you? I don't think you´re here to get your hair done."

The man shook his head. "Not mine, no. My sister´s."

Louis looked at Fukui-san, who merely shrugged and went back to her business. He said, "Where is your sister?"

Kazuhiko seemed at a loss for words at that question, and Louis couldn't help but chuckle. "Akiyama-san," he drawled.

The brunette stayed quiet for a few more seconds. "I think it would be better if you talk to her. Will you be here in an hour?" he said finally.

"I get off at seven, so yes."

"I´ll return with her in that case. See you later… Asahina-san." And Kazuhiko fled.

Louis raised an eyebrow, shrugged and went back to washing the combs.

**To be continued... **


	2. Chapter 2: Figure it Out

Here is chapter two! I swear the yaoi will start VERY soon, but first I have to at least make the attraction look realistic, right? =)) Anyways, I hope you like it!

**Chapter 2: Figure it Out**

"The hairdresser is a guy."

Ryoko looked up from her computer at her horrified younger brother, who´d just entered her office without even knocking. "What?" she said.

Pale, Kazuhiko mumbled, "The hairdresser. It´s not a woman, it´s a man. His name is Louis."

"Not Louise?"

"I´m serious, nee-san."

Ryoko stared at her otouto´s face, trying to find the joke, but she couldn't find it. Not even after a whole two minutes of staring.

"How is it possible?" she said in the end.

"You´re asking the wrong person. You have to see her… _him_! You have to see _him_ to understand. It´s kind of difficult to explain."

"And when do I get to see him?"

"I told him I´d bring you around in a little while to discuss your hair. I got… flustered and couldn't say anything."

"Figures." Ryoko started shutting her computer down and her bag already. "So you´re in love with a boy, otouto?"

"Of course not. I was taken aback to see him but I wasn't in love with her in the first place. I just thought she was pretty."

"And Louis-san isn't pretty?"

Kazuhiko shook his head. "Don't mess with me."

She snorted. "Oh well, I´ll understand when I see him, you said." She stood up. "Alright. Let´s go."

They exited Ryoko´s office in the game company she worked at. They made their way to the entrance saying their farewells to her co-workers and her boss, an orange-haired man who barely acknowledged her presence with a nod.

"Do you think he´ll be able to fix my hair the way I want to?" Ryoko murmured.

"Right now, I don't know anymore."

"Oh?"

"Yes." His sister obviously expected a long answer because she seemed disappointed when he didn't say anything else, but Kazuhiko didn't really care. All he was thinking about right now was on how to react when he saw Asahina Louis again. He was sure he´d left a terrible first impression on the man, but how could he fix it? More important, did he want to fix it? He´d planned on talking to the hairdresser on one point or another because he had thought her pretty. Now, however… he just didn't know because there was no female hairdresser to talk to.

The trip back to the salon seemed to take an eternity, and though it gave him time to think, he still wasn't sure what to do when his sister said, "Is that him?"

He followed where she was pointing, and he went cold from head to toe when he recognized that particularly wild mane of hair. It seemed they were just in time since Louis was exiting the salon and walking in their direction.

"Yes," Kazuhiko whispered.

"Wow." She took him in. "Well, he´s obviously not a girl, but he sure is beautiful… and stylish. I love the pants he´s wearing."

"Nee-san…"

"Oh, Akiyama-san, I thought you weren't coming back," cut Louis´s voice.

Both Akiyama siblings stopped both walking and talking to turn to look at Louis´s gentle smile and the hand he´d raised in greeting.

Ryoko, already expecting her brother to stay silent, said, "Louis-san, I assume? My name is Akiyama Ryoko."

"Asahina Louis. It´s nice to meet you… Akiyama-san." He smiled again at the repetitive name.

"Ryoko is fine," Ryoko said. "My brother talked to you about me."

"All he said was you needed a hairdresser."

"Can we talk back at your salon?"

Louis shifted the bag he was carrying over his shoulder and gave a slight shake of his head. "It´s closing time. Fukui-san won´t allow us to."

"Oh, well, that's too…" she paused, then gasped. "Wait a second! Asahina Louis, you said?"

"Yes."

"Are you, by any chance, Asahina Natsume´s otouto?"

Louis blinked. "How do you know that?"

"Are you?"

"Uh…"

Ryoko squealed. "Oh, you are, aren't you? Asahina-sama told me he had an otouto who worked as a hairdresser and he could contact him for me if I needed help. Oh, I´m so glad it´s you, Asahina-kun! Your brother told me you´re the best stylist one can get. He even gave me your number and your old card." She turned to her purse and fished out a business card Louis had given Natsume a long time ago, when he´d first started working, and one of the first and only batch he´d ever owned. Though most of the information was still correct, Natsume had apparently crossed off Louis´s old number and written the new one instead along with the words, "You may have to call him more than once. He´s always in his own world so insistence will get you somewhere sometime."

A slow smile crept across Louis´s lips. Yeah, that sounded like something his older brother would say.

"I see. What do you need?" he asked, looking at Ryoko.

"It´s a long story."

"There is a café near. We can go talk there."

Kazuhiko made a face. He knew the café Louis was talking about and he was sure he´d never gone into it. If he had, the man might think twice about even setting foot there. Somehow, Kazuhiko figured chain-smokers and poet surroundings were not Asahina Louis´s cup of tea.

But then again, he could be wrong.

Ironically enough, he found himself saying, "I don't think that's the best place to talk because…"

"Kazuhiko´s place is near," Ryoko cut in. "We can go there, if you want."

Both men´s eyes widened. "Nee-san, I didn't…" the brunette started, but was cut off by Louis saying, "Excuse me a moment."

They watched as the redhead (if he could be called that) stepped away from them and pulled his cell phone out.

Brow furrowed, Louis dialed Natsume´s number and waited for him to pick up.

"Louis?" came the worried reply after two rings. "Is something wrong?"

Louis winced. Apparently, Natsume already knew his family only called him if there was a problem or a tragedy. Not a good thought, but true nonetheless. "No, Natsume-nii-san," he said slowly, "everything is fine, I only needed to ask you a question."

"What is it?"

"Does an Akiyama Ryoko work with you?"

"Akiyama… Akiyama… oh. Petite, brown hair, active personality, yes she does. I gave her your card yesterday because she needs a hairdresser for her wedding, though she said she would call you if her brother managed to get her another one. I think she mentioned talking at her brother´s home since it was near the other hairdresser´s salon or some such nonsense."

"Ah" Louis nodded to himself as he saw all the pieces fall into place. "Understood. Thank you, Natsume-nii-san, see you soon." And before the elder could utter another word, Louis hung up and faced the siblings with a more confident smile this time.

"A hairdresser for your wedding?" he said.

Ryoko tilted her head to the side. "You aren't as dreamy and careless as Asahina-sama said you would be. You checked, didn't you?"

He shrugged.

"Well, yes, I need a hairdresser for my wedding. It´s a long story."

He looked at Kazuhiko. "May we visit your home, Akiyama-san?" he drawled.

There was really no other choice.

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Kazuhiko didn't tear his eyes away from Asahina Louis as the three of them went back to his apartment. Though he stayed silent, he watched every single gesture and listened intently to whatever word the other man could squeeze in between Ryoko´s anxious blabbering.

It didn't take him long to realize Louis was both used to and good at listening. He figured with his job, listening was a requirement and not an option. He also realized Louis didn't get distracted, he just _appeared to_. Why? Because as focused as he seemed on looking up at the sky, when Ryoko mentioned the tiniest detail that didn't match the rest of the story, he would quickly ask a question or correct, even agree with what was being said. It made Kazuhiko conclude that maybe Asahina Louis appeared to be an airhead, but it was in fact just the opposite.

Interesting, really.

By the time they stepped into his home, Kazuhiko could already see the wheels in Louis´s head turning, and as he walked to the kitchen to get some refreshments, he heard that stupidly alluring voice speak about certain styles and options which made Ryoko scream her agreement.

He raised an eyebrow when he stepped back into the living room to see his sister seated in a chair with a focused redhead behind her, his hands swiftly pulling and piling coils of hair as brown as his own. He noted how there were already many hairbands, a couple of combs, a brush and bobby pins spread out on the coffee table.

"That was fast," he said, giving Ryoko a cup of coffee and offering another one to Louis, who gave a shake of his head and smiled his reject.

"It must be fast. Ryoko-san`s wedding is near," Louis mumbled.

"Do you usually work with brides and bridesmaids?"

"No. This would be my second time, but I assure you, I can pull it off."

"I know you can. I´ve seen you work wonders before," Kazuhiko said in an off-hand tone.

Mauve eyes flicked to him for a split second, and Ryoko´s face showed surprise.

"You have?"

Becoming aware of what he´d said, Kazuhiko flushed for the second time that day. "I… er…" he stuttered, and Louis waited for an answer while still working on Ryoko´s hair.

"He´s in love with a hairdresser who works in your salon," cut the female voice, and both men froze.

"Nee-san," Kazuhiko said in a warning tone, and Louis asked curiously, "He is?"

"I am not. I only…"

"Yes he is," Ryoko went on, ignoring her brother. "Though he´s never spoken to her, he´s been watching her for a very long time, you know. She´s all he can talk about, how wonderful she seems and how talented she is with hair and stuff."

"Oh." The redhead´s lips quirked. "That's unusual."

"I know, right? But I think it´s cute."

"Of course." And the three of them knew that was more an automatic answer than anything else. "Is it Lillian-san? It wouldn't be surprising if she were, you know, because she gets a lot of attention."

Kazuhiko frowned. "Lillian?"

"Yes. The tall, statuesque blonde. She´s American and got here about a year ago. Is that the woman you´re in love with?"

"I am not in love with anybody in the first place."

Louis tore his eyes away from Ryoko`s hair another second. "Very well then. Is she the woman you like?"

"It isn't," Ryoko answered.

"Nee-san, will you shut up?" Kazuhiko muttered.

"Well, she isn't, is she, otouto?"

He rubbed his temples. "No."

"Hmm," Louis hummed thoughtfully, then tilted his head sideways. "Most men who stop by pay attention to Lillian-san. If it isn't her… I suppose it could be Harumi-san; she´s very pretty as well. Or Chiyoko-san, though she´s not the most mature person. Even Fukui-san… although she is in her thirties already. I don't know."

"I don't either, because I don't know how they all look."

The redhead smiled. "Point taken." But he didn't offer the physical descriptions of the women he´d named.

Silence reigned then. Louis didn't really care nor did he really notice. He was working, and that was the most important thing to him. All his attention had to be focused on what he was doing. He was a professional after all.

Kazuhiko took advantage of the silence to look Asahina Louis over and over, his brain a confused jumble of panicked thoughts. His main concern was: he had to stop feeling awkward for Louis. Louis was a man. He couldn't possibly like a man, could he? He´d never given his sexual preferences a good thought. He had dated some girls before and he had enjoyed the experiences, but he still thought Louis pretty and he just liked him.

That was wrong… wasn't it?

Yes! It was very wrong. Kazuhiko didn't know what lay under the calm and stylish exterior. He didn't _know _Louis, and he certainly had no idea what Louis would do should Kazuhiko admit he liked him. Was Louis straight?

Come to think of it, was _he_ straight?

All those thoughts were running around in his brain while he kept glancing at the beautiful redhead every few seconds.

He stared at Louis, and Ryoko stared at Kazuhiko.

Her little brother looked like he was horrified of himself, yet when he looked at Louis the horror lessened a bit, not much, certainly not enough for her to be at peace, but a bit nonetheless.

Ryoko was sure Kazuhiko was trying to decide if he liked Louis or not. Sure, it must have been a shock to learn his crush was a man, but she knew him almost as well as she knew herself. Like all men, Kazuhiko was drawn in by good looks, but he was also very insightful. If the exterior was pretty but the interior didn't satisfy him or there was _nothing_ in the interior, he moved on quite fast. On the other hand, if the looks weren't the best in the world but he found a worthy quality inside… he tended to stick around for a while. Long story short, her brother was mostly stable, and not as superficial as most men his age.

Which meant if he found out Louis was a good person –according to his standards, of course– the chance of him falling in love with Louis was big… very big.

And it was already starting. The way Kazuhiko looked at Louis every few seconds was all the proof Ryoko needed. The redhead´s good and androgynous looks had charmed her brother. His simple elegance had made her brother sputter. His gentle smile had made her brother blush once already.

"Louis wouldn't be a bad brother-in-law," she murmured. Fortunately, neither male heard her.

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It was after nine o´clock when Louis finished showing Ryoko three possible hairdos for her wedding. Much to Ryoko´s surprise, they all matched the dress she´d shown him in a picture on her phone.

"Will you do my bridesmaids as well?" she asked as Louis finished putting all his implements back on his bag.

Mauve eyes went wide. "Am I hired?"

"How can you not be? You´re a true artist."

"Thank you… but I don't think I can do everyone´s hair by myself. You can come to the salon tomorrow again and we can talk to some of the other hairstylists to see if they can help us. If you don't mind, of course."

"Will you do mine?"

"Yes."

"Alright!" Ryoko grinned. "I´ll come down around three thirty."

Louis nodded and smiled at both Akiyama siblings. "I will be leaving then."

"Aren´t you going to eat?" Kazuhiko called from his kitchen, where he´d retired about fifteen minutes earlier to prepare dinner for the three of them.

"Um, no, though I appreciate the offer. I have to get home soon."

Kazuhiko appeared in the doorway with a troubled expression. "But…"

"Really, it´s fine." Louis couldn't help but be amused at how welcoming these people appeared to be. It would have been very creepy if Natsume-nii-san hadn't reassured him of who these people were. Still, he got the feeling Akiyama Kazuhiko and Ryoko were familiar with him in some way he couldn't figure out.

Again creepy, yet it made him curious.

"See you then, Akiyama-san, Ryoko-san," he said, picked up his bag and headed for the door.

"Kazuhiko is fine," the brunette mumbled when Louis passed near him, making the latter smile again.

"Louis is fine as well," he said, then left.

Kazuhiko watched as the door closed behind him. When it did, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Like I said, Kaz, you have good tastes."

"Not now, nee-san," he grumbled

**To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3: An Older Brother Knows

Hello! Here is chapter three. Uff, I know the whole yaoi-business is taking a lot of time, but well, even though I know this is fiction whenever I write I try to make it the most realistic I can. So, hang in there, it´s coming. :D And this chapter has an Asahina family scene because these brothers have so much potential... if only Ema was a good _sister_. Anyways, I hope you like it.

**Chapter 3: An Older Brother Knows**

Louis yawned as he waited for the elevator to open up on the fifth floor. He would rather just stop in his floor and go to bed, but he had to at least announce to his siblings that he was home. Plus, he was hungry. Yes, he could have eaten with the Akiyamas, but there wasn't any food better than Ukyo-nii-san´s, or Chi-chan´s for that matter.

"I´m home," he called as he stepped out of the elevator and saw a few of his brothers along with Ema sitting on the sofas and watching television.

"Welcome back," came four distracted replies.

"Louis-san, welcome home," Ema said with a smile.

He smiled at the bunch of them before heading off to the kitchen, where he found Ukyo attending a phone call.

"Good evening, Ukyo-nii-san," he called.

"Ah, Louis! Welcome home. You´re just in time."

"Hmm?"

"Fuuto wants to talk to you." Ukyo held out the cordless phone.

Louis blinked, then took the phone to cradle it between his ear and shoulder as he began looking into the pots and pans at the stove. There had to be some leftovers somewhere. "Yes, Fuuto-kun?" he murmured.

"Louis-nii! You must come here _right now_!"

"Where and why?"

"Honshu. I swear, if you don't get here and kick out the stupid stylist the company got this time I´m going to…"

"Honshu is too far away."

"Louis-nii!"

Louis chuckled. He was well accustomed to Fuuto´s irrational calls demanding him to go wherever the young idol was and take charge of the makeover units. It seemed Fuuto didn't want anyone else to style his hair or take care of it. Louis got these phone calls at least once a week. It was fun to hear Fuuto rant, but it also meant he always had to talk to the stylist in order to calm him down.

"I´m sure I can get a plane to go get you at Tokyo," Fuuto went on.

"Mmm. Not possible, Fuuto-kun. I´ve got work here."

"But…"

"Let me talk to the new hairdresser. We´ll figure something out, yes?"

"She´s gone now, but I´ll make her talk to you when she gets back."

"Alright. Don't lose it, Fuuto-kun, just breathe," Louis rambled, not really aware of what he said anymore since he was pouring rice onto a plate.

"I´ll try, Louis-nii." And the call ended.

The redhead went to hang up the phone and finished serving his food. He was about to head to the dining room when he heard, "Louie-chan, welcome home!" followed by an arm being slung over his shoulder.

"Hikaru-nii-san," he said, eyes widening.

"You´re late today, huh? Ukyo said you´d be home before eight."

"I got caught up with work. When did you arrive?"

"Around five. I´ll stick around for a couple days before parting for London next, you know."

"It´s nice to see at least one of you brothers is back home for a little while."

Hikaru regarded him with a deep look. "You still miss Kaname, Subaru and Iori a whole lot, huh, Louie-chan?

Louis hummed his agreement, took his food and went to the dining room with Hikaru close on his heels.

"Is there a particular reason why you´re following me?" Louis asked as he sat down and began to eat.

"Of course. I need a favor."

"Figures. Let´s hear it."

"I need a trim and was wondering if I could go down to your salon tomorrow."

"Sure."

"But Tsubaki said he wants you to dye his hair tomorrow too."

"I see. I can do it."

"Do you real want Hikaru and me there at the same time?" the brother in question asked, wandering into the kitchen to perch himself behind Louis´s chair.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. Masa-nii wouldn't advise it. Neither would Kyo-nii."

Louis shrugged. "I don't mind. It´s not like you can´t behave yourselves. You´re all older than me, after all."

Hikaru and Tsubaki glanced at each other.

"I´ll bring Azusa to referee," the white-haired one said.

"You do that," Hikaru agreed.

Louis rolled his eyes. He trusted his brothers, but apparently, they didn't trust themselves.

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"Azusa, you should dye your hair too."

"No thank you."

"Come on. It you do it, we´d look even more alike."

"We´re twins already. There´s no need for anything else."

"Spoilsport."

"Thank you."

Louis chuckled at the twins´ little exchange as he continued to draw the brush over Tsubaki´s freshly white roots, but especially at Azusa´s bored expression on the seat next to his twin. It appeared he had literally been dragged to the salon, though it ended up in vain because Hikaru hadn't arrived yet and Louis was about done with Tsubaki.

Fukui-san along with all the other hairdressers at the salon were used to the Asahina brothers stopping by to either visit Louis or have something to their hair done, so besides the occasional glance or giggle at the men, it was a normal day at work.

"All done," the redhead announced, leaving his brush at the counter and turning off the blow-dryer. He nodded at Tsubaki´s reflection on the mirror and smiled. "What do you think?"

"The job is awesome, but Tsubaki looks as horrible as usual," Hikaru´s voice cut in.

"Oh, shut up," Tsubaki cut snapped, and Azusa laughed.

"Alright, Tsubaki, we´re out of here," he said, "before you and Hikaru-nii start a mess here at Louis´s work place."

"Aw, come on, don't be like…"

"Asahina-kun!"

Four heads turned, and three pairs of eyes widened when they saw a light brunette woman with an equally light brunette man standing at the entrance of the salon, the latter wearing what looked like a mechanic uniform and a backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Ah, the Akiyamas," Louis said to himself. In his usual distracted manner, he moved to talk to the newly arrived… but of course he got to the door with all his brothers behind him.

"Welcome, Kazuhiko-san, Ryoko-san," he said, doing his best to ignore them.

"Asahina-kun," Ryoko said.

"Asahina," Kazuhiko replied looking at the floor, and when Louis clicked his tongue added rather nervously, "L-Louis-san."

The curiosity levels went up in tangible levels.

The redhead turned around and faced his brothers. "I have some business to attend with the Akiyamas. If you would be so kind to leave…"

Tsubaki opened his mouth to complain, but Azusa cut him off. "Of course. It´s your job and we don't want to interfere. Thanks, Louis, see you at home." He bowed in everyone´s general direction before going outside the salon. Tsubaki had no choice but to follow him.

Louis flicked his eyes to Hikaru, who had all his attention focused on Kazuhiko. "I´ll stay. I still need you to trim my hair anyway. I´ll find a seat somewhere."

"Thanks, Hikaru-nii-san."

"No problem, Louie-chan." Hikaru gave a thoughtful hum before going to do as he´d said.

Louis turned to Ryoko. "Shall we proceed?"

She nodded, grabbed Kazuhiko´s arm and dragged him along to the nearest chair with her as a blush covered the brunette´s cheeks.

Hikaru watched closely.

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Kazuhiko wondered why he´d allowed Ryoko to drag him away from work. He wondered why he´d allowed himself to drive his sister all the way to the salon. Most important, he wondered why he´d gone _into_ the salon instead of just driving back to his workplace.

Oh yeah… the reason was standing in front of him with that beautiful smile on that beautiful face.

Damn it.

"Did you both come here after work?" Louis asked as Ryoko sat on the leathered chair.

"Kind of. I asked Asahina-sama if I could take a bit more time for my lunch hour to come here. Since I was going to visit you, he agreed."

"Oh." His lips twitched, and he looked at Kazuhiko. "What about you?"

The brunette swallowed hard and looked away. "I´ll have to make up for my time off tomorrow," he said.

"Mechanic?"

He blinked. "Excuse me?"

Louis gave his uniform a significant look.

"Oh." He managed a small laugh. "Part time for now. When I finish college I´ll start working full-time right in Tokyo, though."

"Kazuhiko will graduate in a few months, but he keeps a part-time job in a nearby shop," Ryoko said, then added, "He turned twenty-two on December."

"Good to know… I suppose." Louis smiled, obviously amused at her babbling. "By the way, Kazuhiko-san, is your beloved working today?"

Dead and horrified silence filled the air.

"I was just wondering, no need to look so scared. I figured since you´re in love with one of the hairdressers who works here, I work here and we´re going to be seeing each other… I could help you one way or another. Between all the women, I´ve learned a thing or two about romance." He gave a playful wink.

Kazuhiko swallowed.

Louis tilted his head. "Oh, right. You said you´re not in love with her. Still, if the woman you like here is today I could still give you a hand to help you fall in love, if you want."

More silence, and caramel eyes stuck to the pale and elegant figure.

"Kaz isn't going to need a hand to fall in love," Ryoko said smugly. "He´s already on his way there."

"Oh?"

"It´s written all over his face, can´t you see?"

Louis tried to look at the brunette´s face, but didn't catch more than a glimpse of annoyed brown eyes. It seemed like Ryoko was getting on her brother´s nerves, and probably because he´d started talking about his beloved in the first place.

"I´m sorry, Kazuhiko-san, I didn't mean to annoy you, and I´m sure Ryoko-san didn't either," Louis apologized. He´d hoped to make the other man feel better, but all he got was strained silence.

Louis sighed.

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About fifteen minutes later, Kazuhiko couldn't bear it anymore and left with the excuse of going back to work after all. Louis bade him farewell with a smile, and the brunette left like he´d come: with a blush.

After that, Louis had a little reunion with Fukui san –his boss– and the other hairstylists present about Ryoko´s wedding, though the bride-to-be wasn't invited to it. Instead, she waited on the chair she´d occupied when she´d arrived. She entertained herself with some magazines while waiting for Louis to come back.

"Ryoko-san, I heard?"

The woman jumped at the voice. Her eyes widened when she saw a dark redhead standing right in front of her, a mischievous smile on his face… which reminded her of her boss´s… but not of Louis.

"That's me. Akiyama Ryoko," she said, glancing curiously at the long titian hair and expensive clothes the man was wearing. Yeah, he did look like Asahina-sama.

"I´m Asahina Hikaru, Louie-chan´s older brother," Hikaru said.

The cute name made her smile. "Oh. Asahina Natsume´s as well, then."

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"I work with Asahina-sama; the same company," she explained.

"Asahina-sama?" Hikaru rolled his eyes. "I bet he loves being called that."

"Huh?"

"Ah, no, nothing. Just blabbering. Anyway, nice to meet you."

She blinked. "Nice to meet you too."

"I´ve been out of the country for a while now and therefore I hadn't stopped by Louie-chan´s work place in a long time, but I´d never seen you before. New costumer?"

She shrugged. "I suppose."

"How new?"

"Like two days. I just met your brother yesterday."

Hikaru tilted his head to the side. "Yet you talk to him as if you've known him for a long time," he said.

"I do?"

"Yes."

"Oh. I hadn't noticed. It´s just that I feel like I´ve known him long before yesterday," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I see. Was that man here with you your brother?"

"… Why so many questions?"

Hikaru considered the suddenly alert woman with a thoughtful look. He stared at her for a while, enough to make Ryoko shift in her seat, before saying in an off-hand tone, "No particular reason, really. I was just wondering if your brother is gay."

The brunette´s eyes widened. Her breathing quickened ever so slightly and she appeared surprised… then she burst out laughing.

"That's a weird question, Asahina-san," she said between chuckles.

"You can call me Hikaru, since Louie-chan´s name is Asahina as well."

"My point remains, Hikaru-san."

The redhead snorted, then admitted, "You see, I´m asking because I was kind of eavesdropping while you talked to my otouto."

Caramel eyes turned cool. "I kind of figured that out by myself. What about what you heard?"

"It´s quite simple. As I understood, your brother likes a hairdresser who works in this salon, but he feels terribly awkward about it; his blush and stammering said it all. When Louie-chan offered to play Cupid he freaked out. Your brother refused to talk to him, no matter what Louie-chan tried, and the looks your brother kept giving him… like I said, it´s simple to connect the dots."

"You´re wrong."

Hikaru´s own eyes turned cool. "I don't think so."

"Yes you are."

"Okay, so maybe I´m a writer and I´m used to imagining and exaggerating things, but I know attraction when I see it."

Ryoko shook her head.

Hikaru rolled his eyes. "Alright, but you know it at well, don't you? That your brother likes Louie-chan. I suppose that wouldn't make him gay, not really, would it?"

She stared.

"I´d tell you to warn him off because my otouto is straight, but I don't know if he is. He´s never really shown any interest neither for a woman nor a man."

"You mean he´s sexless?"

"I wouldn't go that far, it´s just that there hasn't been anyone interesting enough to capture his attention. Not even our beloved imouto was able to entertain him, and most of our…" Hikaru stopped talking, then chuckled. "Sorry. Talking more than I should here."

"What are you saying?" Ryoko questioned.

He shrugged. "I´m telling you to tell your brother that if he likes Louie-chan then he should try to show it and hell, who knows, even pursue him. He won´t lose anything, and they may both gain something."

"You don't even know him."

"You can tell at a single glance he´s a good guy… though maybe not the most confident guy, and stubborn, am I wrong?"

She remained quiet for a whole minute, then shook her head.

"See? You work on your brother and I´ll try to find out if Louie-chan would be willing to date a boy."

Ryoko opened her mouth to speak, but an alluring voice came. "Ryoko-san, my boss wishes to speak to you."

Louis appeared with his gentle smile. Hikaru winked at Ryoko before she walked and he chuckled at the little smile and wink she gave back.

"Hikaru-nii-san."

"Yes."

"Why did you wink?" the youngest asked curiously.

"Huh? Oh. It was nothing. By the way, Louie-chan—" Hikaru slung an arm over the other´s shoulders. "—what do you think of _men_?"

**To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4: A Silly Idea

Hi! Blake here. :D I´m quite happy with this chapter, you know, I liked how it came out. I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to the people who´ve followed and favorited this story. 3 I really appreciate it.

**Chapter 4: A Silly Idea**

Kazuhiko rarely lost his temper. He wasn't as crazy or as loud as his sister, but he did share the passionate attitude she had. However, when that attitude came out because he was angry, well, it wasn't the prettiest sight.

"I´m going to kill her, I´m definitely going to kill her," he muttered as he rubbed his temples due to all the screaming and giggling coming from his living room. "How could she bring all this chaos into my house? She has her own house, and it´s much bigger than mine, for crying out loud! There is no need for her to do this, and if she did it because Louis was coming… she´s not human. I swear she´s a demon or something similar."

Though he didn't expect an answer, he got one in the form of more feminine giggling.

He groaned and laid his forehead on the kitchen table, where he´d been working on some plans for college since Ryoko had shoved all the stylists into his apartment. He´d been hiding and working there ever since. However, the reason this time wasn't just Louis. It was the damn feminine army out there. They were restless… and just as crazy as his sister.

Asahina Louis the exception, of course.

Had he been feeling a bit less angry, he would have been too nervous about having his crush out there wandering around his living and looking at who knows what. As it was, Kazuhiko couldn't bring himself to care about something so mundane as that.

Yeah, he wasn't the stuttering idiot he´d been lately now that he was mad.

"Damn it," he muttered, raised his head… and let it fall don't on the table again. The plans he was working on had to be delivered soon, and he was almost finished, but he couldn't work with all the chaos outside. It was impossible. Impossible!

"Kazuhiko-san?"

He jumped a mile when he heard his name being spoken in that soft voice, then lifted his head and he whirled in his seat to look at the peaceful redhead who was now looking at him from the kitchen doorway.

"Louis-san," he said. For the first time, his voice came strong, and there wasn't a stupid blush on his cheeks.

"Do you have a brush you can lend me?"

"A brush?"

Louis nodded.

Kazuhiko frowned. "Uh, don't think so, no. I think I have a few decent combs if you want them, though"

"Please."

He got up, still frowning, and stomped out of the kitchen into his bathroom. He got the combs and stomped right back to nearly shove them into the pale, slender hands Louis held out.

"There."

"Thank you."

"Sure." Though his conscience was yelling at him he was being rude –and to Louis of all people– he managed to turn around and sit back down.

Louis was surprised. Could this be the shy Akiyama Kazuhiko he´d met and seen for the past days? Well, physically he was the same, but the attitude… maybe it was because he was mad?

"Kazuhiko-san," he said again.

"Mmm?"

"Are you upset with us?"

The brunette blinked, processed the words, then articulated, "… What?"

The redhead stared, and the mauve eye that was visible narrowed. "Give me a minute," he said. He stepped out of the kitchen and was back as soon as he´d gone, hands empty.

Confused, Kazuhiko watched as Louis walked to the other end of the table, turned a chair around and straddled it. His long hair fell across his cheeks as he laid his forearms on the headrest and his chin on the headrest.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you upset with us?" Louis asked.

"I do mind."

"I´m sorry, I don't mean to intrude, Kazuhiko-san, it´s just that you look very angry. I want to know why."

"Why would you care?"

Louis shrugged. "Stupidly enough, I got used to you being shy and confused. I know it doesn't mean anything because I just met you, but it´s strange to see you angry."

The brunette was ready to growl back some sort of response when he saw Louis´s expression, Louis´s honest, wondering and beautiful expression.

It was enough to deflate him as if he were a balloon.

He let out a sigh and felt his eyes go calmer, felt his posture relax. "I´m not mad with you stylists," he confessed in a hushed tone.

Louis nodded. "With Ryoko-san, then?"

"Yes."

"I did try to tell her we could practice the hairdos at the salon. We didn't have to…"

"Come here, I know. I know she insisted, I know she practically forced you to come here, I know she didn't give you a choice. I know my sister, I just can´t help being mad with her for bringing all this chaos into my house when I have so much work to do."

Louis stood and peered at the plans. "What are you drawing?"

"Some plans I have to deliver to one of the architects at college."

"Architect? You study architecture?"

Kazuhiko managed to smile. "Why do you look so surprised?"

"The other day you were wearing a mechanic uniform. I thought…"

"I´m the painter at the shop I work at. It´s the biggest in Tokyo and I usually have a vehicle to paint. When I don't, I help the real mechanics with whatever I can."

Louis´s visible eye widened. "Artsy type," he murmured.

Kazuhiko let out a chuckle. "In my own way."

"Is there anything I can help you with? I have no expertise but if I can help you ease up the anger of your house invasion, well…" The redhead waffled his hands back and forth.

"Aren´t you supposed to be out there invading my house as well?"

"I will work on Ryoko-san at the wedding and we´re more than ready for that day to arrive. Plus, to tell you the truth—" Louis smiled, embarrassed. "—I am quite tired of all the female chatter

"Oh. I… er… I´d appreciate your help, then."

Louis´s smiled widened. He nodded, undid his hair and then wound it up again in a complete yet loose ponytail. "What can I do?" he asked.

All the answer he got was an open-mouthed Kazuhiko staring at him.

"What´s wrong now?"

The caramel orbs stared at _both_ mauve ones in a rather obvious manner.

"Oh." Louis touched a loose strand of his pinkish hair and actually felt a blush taint his cheeks. "My usual style is the side ponytail. I prefer it that way," he explained.

Silence, and then the brunette whispered, "So… pretty."

"Hmm?"

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!"

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It took Ryoko over half an hour to realize Louis wasn't in the living room with the other stylists anymore. Ironically enough, it only took her about fifteen seconds to find him.

"I knew it," she whispered as she peered at the redhead and his brother from the kitchen doorway. She couldn't help but smile at the picture in front of her: Kazuhiko sitting down on a chair with a pencil pressed to his lips as he ogled an amused Louis, who was right next to him, leaning his butt against the desk and pointing at something on top of it.

"So cute," she giggled, and then stormed inside yelling, "_Louis_-san!"

Both men jumped.

Louis blinked a couple of times, then murmured, "Yes?"

"Everyone is finished and ready to leave."

"They are?" He looked disappointed. "That's inconvenient. Kazuhiko-san and I were barely getting into the design."

"Architecture?"

"Yes," Kazuhiko replied, his tone thoughtful. Then, to everyone´s amazement, he said, "Louis-san, you don't have to go with them, do you? I mean, you can stay… right?"

The redhead blinked a couple of times again. He stayed silent for a couple of seconds before giving a thoughtful hum. "I don't see why not," he said, pressed his index finger to his lips and shrugged.

Ryoko laughed, which made both the men stare at her, one sudden anger, the other in curiosity.

"Oh, Louis-san, if Kaz wants you to stay you should stay. I´ll tell the women to leave without you. Maybe today you can have dinner with us." Without further word, she disappeared.

Louis chuckled. "Your sister is nice, Kazuhiko-san," he mused, then tilted his head. "But then again, so are you. Both of you are very welcoming."

"We are, aren't we," Kazuhiko mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"I also get the feeling you two know me from before we actually met. Ou didn't lie to me and actually are spies or kidnappers, are you?"

"No, of course not!"

"But you do know me from before."

The brunette bit his lip. "It´s a long story."

"I´ve got time. I´ll stay for dinner, after all." Louis smiled gently.

_Pretty_, Kazuhiko thought again, then shook his head. "N-Not enough time, Louis-san. Maybe some other day."

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Louis arrived home early compared to other days, and walked right into the family having dinner.

"Good night, everybody. I´m back," he called entering the room and waving a hand in greeting.

A chorus of "welcome home" met him, followed by Ema rising from her seat.

"I´ll get your dinner, Louis-san," she said.

"Thank you, Chi-chan, but I already ate."

"The schedule said you´d eat home tonight," Ukyo said.

"I was." He nodded and didn't offer another answer, which made everyone glance at each other.

"Louis, are you okay?" Masaomi asked.

"Yes."

"Then why…?"

"Louie-tan! What is that?" Wataru cried. The little boy jumped from his seat and rushed over to the elder to yank out of the bag an envelope whose corner had been sticking out.

"That's an invitation to a wedding," Louis murmured. Wataru gave him wide eyes before opening it. Less than five seconds later, Yuusuke, Tsubaki, Ukyo and even Azusa were trying to get peeks at the invitation as well.

"Akiyama Ryoko. Is that the woman we saw at the salon three days ago?" Azusa asked.

"Mmm."

"She´s your friend?" That was Tsubaki.

"A client."

"And she actually invited you to the wedding?"

"She´s a very friendly person."

All the brothers stared, Ema too. Louis could be so damn mysterious and clammed up sometimes and it was annoying, really annoying. But then again, it was a thing the family was used to. From the moment he´d arrived, Louis had been an independent boy. He´d lived his life his own way, set his own rules, his own limits and had dealt with his issues by himself. It wasn't that Louis didn't trust nor didn't he love his family, because he did, he simply preferred to be on his own.

"Are you attending?" Masaomi asked.

"Yes. I´ll be gone all Saturday." Louis went to retrieve the invitation. "Good night, everyone, see you tomorrow."

They all watched the redhead disappear out of the kitchen. There was a moment of silence, then Yuusuke said, "Didn't he seem… I don't know… more cheerful than usual?"

"He was definitely chirpy," Ukyo mumbled, brow furrowing. "Louis isn't chirpy."

"Something must have gotten him on a good mood," Azusa said. "He was even wearing a ponytail. He almost never does that."

The air of suspicion rode the air.

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Louis dumped his bag as soon as he got into his room. He undid his hair, took off the sweater he was wearing and went for his bath supplies. He needed a shower before relaxing, reading some books, clean and prepare his stylist materials and then going to bed.

Or maybe… maybe he should check out the invitation first. When Ryoko gave it to him, he only accepted it and left. He hadn't even looked at it.

Sighing, he sat down on his bed and picked up the envelope. He opened it and studied the invitation, then shrugged and stuffed it back in. He was about to lay down the envelope when he caught the phone number scribbled on the white surface.

Mouth open in a little "O" of surprise, Louis read carefully. He frowned and was about to call when his phone rang.

"Who is it?" he whispered, checking the screen and seeing it was the same number he had on the envelope. He frowned, then picked up. "Hello."

There was a moment of pregnant silence.

"Yes?" he tried again.

More silence, and then: "L-Louis-san?!"

Only one person would stutter like that. "Kazuhiko-san. Where did you get my number?"

"I-I didn't! I swear I didn't… but Ryoko went out to the café to get something to drink and she left me a phone number saying if I could call Isao-san to tell her she was going to arrive home late."

"Isao-san?"

"… Ryoko´s fiancé. Damn it. I should have known she was planning something because she rarely asks me to do stuff like this for her and if I´d actually known his number I wouldn't have called you and…"

"Kazuhiko-san," Louis interrupted, trying not to laugh. "It´s okay. I´m not mad."

"I´m still sorry."

"Apology accepted then." The redhead laid down on his bed and stared up at the painted ceiling. "Have you finished drawing the plans?"

"Uh, no. I´m almost done but still need to work on some details. What about you?"

"Mmm, I just got home." Louis went quiet, and for some stupid reason Hikaru´s talk about men three days ago crawled back into his mind.

Why would it in such a…?

Oh.

_I don't understand why you´re talking to me about this. I don't have a boyfriend, Hikaru-nii-san._

_But would you mind getting one?_

_Why would I? I´m fine. I don't need a boyfriend… nor a girlfriend. It doesn't really matter which, I don't want one, I don't need one. _

_Ah, Louie-chan, don't say that. Girlfriends… I mean boyfriends, are a lot of fun to have. It´s like having a friend but much, much, better. I mean, you can go out on dates or talk on the phone all night with each other about gooey things or maybe even…_

"Louis-san? Are you still there?" The brunette´s voice rang in his ear.

"Ah? Er, yes, I´m here." Louis blinked and sat up. He rubbed the side of his head. "Did you say something?"

"I only asked if you are going to stay for the wedding and the reception this Saturday."

"Possibly."

"Oh… good! I mean, we can, you know…" Louis could almost feel the blush covering Kazuhiko´s cheeks, and he let out a chuckle at the mental image.

"I´ll stick close to the best man Akiyama so I don't get lost," he promised.

"… Right. Yes! That's what I wanted to say."

He laughed again, but a word kept repeating itself over and over in his head.

_Boyfriend. _

What a silly idea.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5: Under the Surface

**Chapter 5: Under The Surface**

"Kaz?"

"Mmm."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Really? You remember who´s getting married today, right?

"Of course, nee-san."

"Then stop fretting." Though it was an order, Ryoko´s voice came amused.

Kazuhiko glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. He dropped the tie he´d been holding and stepped away from the mirror in which he´d been looking at himself. He straightened out his polo shirt and faced his sister, chin held high. "I´m not fretting," he said.

"Right, ´cause that wasn't the eleventh tie you´ve tried on in the past hour," Ryoko said from her set on the bed at her apartment, where all the women would get dressed and made up before going to the church.

As to why was Kazuhiko, certainly not a woman, there… it was obvious and sort of planned.

He´d talked with Louis over the phone a couple more times in the days following the accidental first call, and in the last one, he found himself promising to guide Louis to Ryoko´s home since the redhead was terrible with directions. The plan was that when Louis arrived in the area, he´d phone. Kazuhiko would go get him and they´d walk back to the apartment together.

It was lame as excuses went, but it was an excuse nonetheless.

As to why was Kazuhiko fretting, well, it was only because he wanted to look presentable enough to stand at the altar and not embarrass his sister, or that's what he allowed himself to think.

"You really do like him, don't you, otouto?" Ryoko said thoughtfully, smirking at his attempt at bravado.

He shrugged.

"He is stunning, I´ll give him that much," she went on, "but is there something beneath the pretty package?"

"At first glance one would say no, buts he´s much deeper and interesting than I thought," Kazuhiko answered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, nee-san."

"Good. If he´s the one…"

His phone began ringing. He pulled it out of his pants pocket, glanced at the screen and gave a lopsided smile.

"I´ll be right back," he said, and brought his phone to his ear as he stepped out of the room.

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Louis was standing on the corner of a high-class neighborhood when he saw a tall and somewhat familiar figure approach him, a hand raised in greeting.

"Good morning, Louis-san," Kazuhiko drawled.

"Good morning, Kazuhiko-san." He tilted his head to the side. "You came on foot. That means I´m not very lost."

"Excuse me?"

"I figured if you came walking then Ryoko-san´s place mustn´t be that far away. If you came on a car, I was ready to apologize for being so terrible with directions."

"Oh." The brunette smiled. "Her apartment is half a block from here, but it wouldn't have been any problem if it were farther away. I did promise to come get you, right?"

"I suppose."

"Did you come alone?"

Louis chuckled. "As far as I know, yes."

Kazuhiko stammered, "Um, no, I mean… Ryoko said you could bring family if you wanted to."

"I´m about to work. I don't usually bring my family into work, you see."

"But for the reception… Ryoko wouldn't mind at all."

Louis shrugged. "It wouldn't have been polite, but I appreciate Ryoko-san´s offer very much, and yours as well. Like I said before, both of you are very welcoming people."

"Thanks. Let´s go." The brunette began walking, and the redhead followed suit.

Kazuhiko endured a few seconds of silence before he looked at the big yet slender bag Louis had over one shoulder and then looked at the shiny black case he held in one hand. "Is that your suit?" he asked, trying for nonchalance.

"Yes."

"It looks new." He paled. "You didn't have to go out and buy a suit for just this occasion, did you?"

Louis laughed again and settled his gaze on the passing houses. "Oh no. It looks new because I´ve just used it one time before at Miwa-san´s marriage almost two years ago."

_Politely_, Kazuhiko asked, "Miwa-san?"

"Mmm. My mother."

"Well, that's being lovey."

"I did call her mama when I was a boy. It doesn't sound appropriate anymore, though." The redhead´s expression sobered. Kazuhiko glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes, and before any question could be voiced, he murmured, "I´m adopted."

The brunette tripped over his own feet. Caramel eyes flew wide. "… You´re kidding," he breathed.

"Uh-uh."

"… Really?"

"Yes."

Kazuhiko waited for more. When Louis remained silent he grumbled, "You can´t leave it at that. I´m sure you have much more to tell me."

The redhead actually winked at him. "I sure do, and I´ll tell you when _you_ tell _me_ how you know me from before."

"… Damn it. That was a good one. Touché, Louis-san."

"Indeed."

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Kazuhiko was kicked out of Ryoko´s apartment soon after he and Louis arrived. He hadn't planned to stay the whole time in the first place, but he didn't need to be shoved out the door to get the message.

His pride hurt, he had no other choice but to drive to the church. Once he was there, Isao-san managed to keep him busy for more than three hours. Some problems with the flower arrangements, the decorations in the church, a missing course on the meal… his soon-to-be brother-in-law was able to stack his time with different jobs.

When Kazuhiko was done helping with all the preparations, he and some relatives of Isao changed into their suits and were sent to the entrance to usher people inside. He´d hoped to usher Louis inside but in the end didn't even see him near the church.

And then he had no more time to worry about the redhead because Ryoko had arrived at the church and he was about to perform his most important role on the wedding. Was it best man? Yeah, that too, but he had to give Ryoko away. Why he´d ended up with both positions? Pressure from both Ryoko and Isao, of course.

Kazuhiko fled to the chambers inside the church to find one of the little rooms cluttered with pastel pink dresses and a big and puffy white one.

He´d planned on going in and demanding where the hell Louis was, but as soon as he caught a glimpse of Ryoko´s happy face, all his intentions went down the toilet.

"Nee-san," he said with a grin, admiring her subtly made-up face, how the princess-like dress fit her like a glove, how the veil framed her gorgeous and elegant hairstyle and face, and most important of all, the way her eyes shined with pure glee.

"Kaz!" she cried, her voice almost broken with emotion. She twirled in a little circle. "What do you think? Do I look perfect or what?"

Whatever the occasion, Ryoko was still Ryoko, but for today, Kazuhiko would go along with her.

"Of course you look perfect, nee-san," he said. "I´m so happy to see you so excited. You look gorgeous. The most beautiful bride in the world."

"Oh, come now, don't throw clichés at me, otouto." But she was smiling. She spread out her arms. "Come hug me fast. I think I´m going to faint."

"You´re too happy to faint." Still grinning, he walked to her and squeezed her tight and long to his chest.

"I think I´ll faint because I´m so happy, or because I´m too nervous," she said, then sniffled. "I´m glad you´re here with me, even if Mom and Dad aren´t."

"They´d be as happy and proud of you as I am," he assured her, and hugged her again. "Are you ready to walk down the aisle?"

"Of course! But if I faint on the way there, I´ll later say you made me trip." She giggled, then winked. "By the way, Louis-san said after the ceremony ended he would wait for you at the doors."

"He did?"

"Yep. It appears someone promised to stay close to him and that's the main reason why he´ll stay for the reception. Don't forget, Kaz."

"As if I could," he scoffed. "But that's not the important thing right now. It´s your day, nee-san, make of it the most you can."

"As always."

He laughed.

From then one, the wedding went as expected. Kazuhiko gave her away, then stood next to Isao-san´s side with the rings and then stayed at the top of the altar like a mannequin with the rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen. All the time, his eyes kept darting over the people inside the church, trying to find that pinkish hair.

Sooner than he thought, the wedding was over. Ryoko was a married woman and he was shoved along with the newlyweds into a line, forced to walk down the aisle and then forced to stand at the door to receive the congratulations.

That, in his opinion, was something stupid. He wasn't the groom nor the bride. Why did he have to stay there and get congratulated? There was no reason to do it, was there?

"I don't understand why, but congratulations, Kazuhiko-san."

The brunette blinked, and when he saw Louis´s smile and stretched out hand, he grinned right back and squeezed the slender hand more time than he should have.

"I don't understand either," he admitted, "but thank you anyway. I´ll see you right outside, okay?"

Louis nodded before allowing the next guest to take over his place. He accommodated his bag over his shoulder and went on to congratulate the other groomsmen and bridesmaids, out of courtesy and nothing more, then the new husband and wife, the latter giving him a strangely long hug.

By the time he stepped out of the church, Louis felt he´d been through a war.

Puffing, he leaned against the nearest wall and waited for Kazuhiko to come out.

More than fifteen minutes passed until the brunette called his name.

"I´ll drive us both to the wedding," Kazuhiko said as they walked into the church´s parking lot.

"Aren´t you supposed to be with the rest of the wedding bunch?"

"Maybe for a little bit at the reception, but Ryoko and Isao-san have given me free rein as to what to do with myself for the wedding, and we´ve decided I´d spent it with you." Kazuhiko´s eyes wandered over the pristine black suit Louis wore with a pale magenta shirt and dark reddish-pink tie. His hair was, for the first time, loose. He looked adorable and elegant, beautiful and stylish.

Much to his own embarrassment, the brunette mumbled, "You look lovely, Louis-san."

The redhead´s eyes widened in absolute and complete surprise. His cheeks turned lightly pink. "Thank you," he said. "Your suit fits you very well too."

There was a moment of awkward silence as they went on walking. The silence remained until they got to a shiny silver sedan.

"Is this your car?" Louis asked.

"Yeah."

"I hadn't seen it before."

"It stays in the apartment complex most of the time."

"Oh… the Akiyamas are a well-accommodated family, aren't they?"

"I guess. I mean… we´re not that rich, our family just has… power, you can call it."

"So I see." Louis looked thoughtful. "What do your parents do, Kazuhiko-san?"

"M-My parents?"

He nodded.

Kazuhiko scratched the back of his head and looked down. "My parents… they don't do much, Louis-san. They´re… they´re dead… have been since I was a child."

More pregnant silence. Then Louis spoke, amazed. "What happened to them?"

The brunette bit his lip and glanced at his wristwatch. "Let´s arrive at the wedding, find a table and if you tell me about your adoption I´ll tell you about my parents… deal?"

"… Fine. Deal."

Then they got in the car and sped away.


	6. Chapter 6: Deals

Hallo! So here is chapter six. I don't know if anyone noticed, but I had to correct the last chapter because of a stupid mistake I made with the documents and it was uploaded incomplete. I mention this because you sort of need to read the last bit to understand where this chapter begins. Other than that, I just want to thank the persons who´ve followed and favorited this story, and _**Ghost**_, thanks a million times for your review. I´m glad you like Kazuhiko! It´s never easy to manage OCs, so your words meant a lot, really. Thank you. ^^

**Chapter 6: Deals**

Watching the work of other hairdressers was always so much fun. While it was useful to see other hairdos and see what could have been done better or what was done good, Louis found it amusing to just watch what other people like him could think of to do with hair. For example, whoever had turned that woman´s hair into what appeared a fountain must have been thirsty or in a severe need to go to the bathroom. Who arranged such a style for a wedding? It might be adequate for, say, a beauty pageant or some silly event, hardly a high-profile wedding like the one they were attending.

But then again, that was just him getting amused.

"One should always go to the bath before working," he murmured, and nodded to himself. He smiled, then stopped looking at the woman with the fountain hairdo. His eyes traveled over the many guests at the many tables in the vast garden the reception was being held it. It had a beautiful decoration and the music was good and it was an excellent reception overall but Louis was tired of sitting at a table all by himself waiting for Kazuhiko to come back from… where was he now? The last time he´d caught a glance at the brunette –about an hour and fifteen minutes ago– he´d been managing the bar because the bartender didn't have enough help.

Louis thought he´d reached his limit. He was a rather patient and easy-going person, and if he was now thinking of leaving it was only because he was bored, not because he was offended. He didn't care enough to be offended, and his pride wasn't big enough to take it as an offense.

_He didn't care enough? _

Well, not for the wedding, but for Kazuhiko… yeah, a small part of him wished the brunette would just come back to the table where they both sat when arriving at the reception.

"Silly ideas, Louis, silly ideas," he mumbled to himself, then rose. He could leave at that moment, but his bag was in Kazuhiko´s car, and he had to retrieve it. His important materials were there, along with his regular clothes.

Clicking his tongue, he began his walk towards the bar. His eyes roamed over all the guests and what they were doing. Because of this, he didn't see Kazuhiko until he bumped into him.

"Oomph. Sorry," he said, taking a step back to regain his personal space.

"Louis-san, where are you going?" the brunette asked, eyes wide.

"I was going to bet you. Can I have my bag back?"

"Y-You´re leaving?!"

"Well, you´re very busy and I got bored looking at people, so yes." Louis shrugged matter-of-factly.

Kazuhiko looked stricken. "I´ve been a terrible host, haven't I? I´m really sorry, Louis-san."

"It´s okay… Um, can we go get my bag?"

"Louis-san!" came Ryoko´s sing-song voice. The redhead turned to see the bride in her complete white glory practically skip toward both men.

"Ryoko-san, it appears marriage suits you to perfection," he said.

She laughed. "So sweet of you. Have you eaten yet?"

"Actually, I was about to…"

"Go get some food, Louis-san, and I´ll wait for you right here. There a few women who want to meet the genius who fixed my hair for me."

"But…"

"Come on, you´ll get new clients and I´ll get to brag I found you first. Please, Louis-san?"

Mauve eyes turned amused. "Alright."

"Great! Kaz will go with you to get food. Why don't you go on ahead and give me a second?"

"Of course." He nodded to the siblings and marched off.

As soon as his back was turned to them, Ryoko slapped Kazuhiko on the back of the head… hard.

"Ouch! What the hell was that for!" he hissed, rubbing his head.

"You´re such a bad host. Louis-san´s been by himself for God knows how long and you wasting your time when you _told _him you´d stay with him."

"It isn't my fault. Isao-san kept calling me because there was a problem with the food or the bar or the stupid floral arrangements."

"Why did he ask you?"

"Because he didn't want to bother you and…"

"He can an such an idiot sometimes! We agreed we wouldn't bother you and…" she stopped to take a deep breath, then shook her head. "Anyway, I won´t let him bother you anymore. You´re trying to get a boyfriend and shouldn't be attending the stupid floral arrangements."

He gave her a flat look. "Ha, ha, very funny."

She rolled her eyes and gave him a little push. "Go get Louis-san and make sure he eats well. After, drag him over to Maiko-chan´s table. She wants to meet him."

"¡No way! I´m not dragging him over to Isao-san´s imouto."

"Why not?"

He snorted. "She sees him and she´ll turn into the vixen she really is."

"Oh, jealous so soon, Kaz."

"I´m not…"

"Never mind, just get a move on."

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"So… you don't know anything about your real parents?"

"Mmm, not really. Like I said, all I´m aware of is that Gill-san lives in France."

"Your real father."

"Yes."

"And you've never visited him."

"I´ve never felt the need. I have Miwa-san and she´s my mother, and you could say Masaomi-nii-san is like a father to us all."

Kazuhiko frowned as he tried to remember who Masaomi was. Louis had already told him about his twelve brothers, but he couldn't place them in order yet.

"Masaomi-san is the third son?" he guessed.

Louis chuckled. "No. He´s the first son, ten years older than me."

"And the third is…"

Another small laugh. "Kaname."

"And you´re all boys, right?"

"Hmm."

Kazuhiko smiled. It appeared the redhead loved to hum his answers if they were positive or if he simply felt like it. It was amusing.

"And then we have Chi-chan," Louis went on.

"Is her name really Chi?"

"No, she´s named Ema, but Juli-san calls her…" and he stopped talking.

"Juli-san?" the brunette asked.

"Uh… yes. He´s her… her…"

At the obvious discomfort, Kazuhiko decided to steer them back to Louis.

"That would mean you´re half French," he said.

"Yes."

"Now I see why you speak the way you speak."

The redhead tilted his head to one side. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Your accent, your words. They kind of flow or roll out of your mouth in an alluring and easy-going way. Your Japanese is perfect, but I can see the accent."

"Oh." Louis looked surprised. "That´s weird. I only lived in France for two years."

"You learned to speak there."

"Probably. I´ve never given it much thought."

"And you say your father works as a beautician."

"That's right."

"And did you always want to be a hairstylist?"

"That wasn't part of our deal, Kazuhiko-san. I told you about my adoption and my new family; now you have to tell me about your parents."

"But…"

Louis smiled, a dazzling flash of white and even teeth. "It´s your turn now."

Kazuhiko fumed, then found himself saying, "I´ll tell you because we made a deal, but now I propose you another one."

"Oh?"

"Yes. How about we meet some other day and… and just talk some more?"

"Talk about what?

_You. _

"This and that, everything and nothing," the brunette managed to say, striving for indifference. To his own disgrace, he ended up with tomato red cheeks.

Louis tilted his head to one side, then shrugged. "Sure, I don't see why not."

Kazuhiko´s eyes flew wide. "Yes?"

"I like you, Kazuhiko-san. You´re a good an amusing person. I don't think talking to you will be harmful."

"Of course it isn't! I mean, er…"

The redhead had to admit the way Kazuhiko stammered was kind of cute. It was funny, yeah, but it had a cute edge to it.

"Your parents," he prompted.

"Right." Kazuhiko frowned. "Let´s see… first of all, I never met my mother. She died giving birth to, but thanks to Ryoko I know she and Father met while she was looking for a house. My father was a real estate agent at that time, nothing more than an employee, and Mother was one of the heirs to an electronics company. The met, started dating and eventually got married.

After three years of being husband and wife, Ryoko was born. It wasn't an easy delivery. It seems my mother had… a problem with the womb or Ryoko had a complication with the umbilical cord, or… well, whatever it was they both had problems. My sister had to stay in the hospital a month before she could be taken home. By the time that happened, my mother´s company was bankrupt thanks to a bad inversion her father had made and she lost all her inheritance. Due to that and the fact she didn't recover after Ryoko´s birth, she was unable to keep on working.

Father saw this and began working for two. Five years after he met my mother, he got a promotion, and five years after Ryoko was born, he became the CEO of the real estate and managed to buy the tittle. Ryoko says she remembers the family became impoverished a while when he made the purchase, though she also says Father brought up the company rather quickly.

When Ryoko was seven, Mother became pregnant again. Father tried to get her to abort seeing how she still suffered some after effects from before but she wouldn't go for it. It was a tough pregnancy, a torture for her, but she endured it… and I came along."

A bitter smile curved the brunette´s lips as he spoke again. "Mother died soon after I was born. Her body couldn't take it. She was simply too weak and maybe it was the best thing for her. Of course, at the time no one thought of that. Father was devastated and Ryoko hated me from the moment she saw me."

Louis´s eyes widened. "That's hard to believe, seeing how much she adores you."

"Now she does but when I was a little kid… I think she hated me until Father died. She had her reasons, of course. She was eight when I came along and her mom died because of me. She was entitled to try to get rid of me, which she did various times."

"Ryoko-san?"

"Yeah. I was told she tried to drop me on my head various times while I was still a baby. She never _really_ tried to kill me but she made sure I knew she didn't like me in the least. When I was six she gave me this scar." Kazuhiko loosened his tie and pulled down the neck of his shirt to expose the longish scar on the side of his throat.

Louis gave a hiss. "She tried to behead you?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but she had pointy object at the time." Kazuhiko rolled his eyes. "It´s incredible how much things have changed."

"Don't you say."

He chuckled, then shrugged. "Anyways, like I said, she hated me until Father died, which happened soon after she gave me this wound. He got too drunk one night, took his car, tried to drive home and that was the sad end of him."

"Your sister was fourteen when it happened."

"Yes, but it turned out she took it rather well. She´d lost her mother before, now her father, but she… she rose to the occasion. She stopped hating me and became the mother I never had. I think she did it because I was all she had left and because it was her way of grieving."

"What about your other family?"

"My father´s family took us in after his death and he was an only child. My mother´s family didn't want anything to do with us three since we 'killed' their daughter. My father´s parents raised us but they were quite an elderly couple and passed away about three years ago." Caramel eyes turned sad and nostalgic. "I still miss them a lot, you know, even though Ryoko´s the one who´s been father, mother and sister to me."

Louis leaned his elbow on the table they were now sitting at and his chin on his palm. "I sympathize, Kazuhiko-san, at least in part."

"I suppose you do."

"And after your father died the real estate company was passed on to you and Ryoko-san?"

He nodded. "It´s still ours, though we´ve sold some parts to some old associates."

"But you work. Ryoko-san works, and neither of your jobs has anything to do with business."

"I said it´s ours, not that we manage it. We´re brats in that aspect. We benefit from it and we are there for major decisions but each of us has our own lives."

"Hence your apparently humble exterior but luxurious apartments and cars," the redhead mumbled.

"Yep." And because Kazuhiko didn't want to talk about his past anymore, he rose and grinned. "This is going to sound very, very, very weird, Louis-san, but try not to run away calling me a freak."

Calm mauve eyes stared at him.

"Do you want to dance with me?"

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Louis arrived at the Sunshine Residence a bit after ten that night, having caught the last train, and that only because he hadn't allowed Kazuhiko to drive him home. It might have been interesting, but Louis wasn't that stupid nor that trustful. Yes, he like spending time with Akiyama Kazuhiko. Yes, he like talking to him and yes, he thought Kazuhiko was a very nice and amusing person. Still, it had been only a week since they´d met. It wasn't possible to bond with a person like this.

Or was it?

"Stop thinking silly things," he whispered as he stared up at the tree in front of the building. He chuckled at his own foolishness and shook his head.

"_Louis!_" The high and squeaky voice came from up on the tree.

"Juli-san," he said, surprised. "What are you doing out here? It´s late."

"I know!" the squirrel shouted, "but Chi went out to dinner with three of these wolves and she hasn't come back. I´m worried."

"Who did she go with?"

"Azusa, Wataru and Yuusuke."

"Ah, she should be fine. As long as Tsubaki-nii-san and Fuuto-kun don't show up, she will be alright."

"I don't trust them, Louis!"

"She could have gone out with Tsubaki-nii-san, Natsume-nii-san and Subaru-kun," the redhead pointed out.

Juli regarded him with big button eyes. "That doesn't make me feel any better, but you've got a point. What about you, Louis? Where do you come from? You look cheerful."

He shrugged. "I attended a very nice wedding. It was a lot of fun."

"Really?" Juli blinked his little eyes. It was weird to hear those words from Asahina Louis.

"Oh yes." What with working in the morning, the eating, the talking and the stupid dancing he and Kazuhiko had done at the wedding plus the couple of drinks they had… it had been a great day.

The best part? He and Kazuhiko were going out tomorrow again as part of another "deal".

… Wait a second.

Did he just think "going out"?

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In the end, they did go out.

It was a cloudy and cold Sunday morning, and Louis met Kazuhiko outside one of the smaller but high-classier malls in Tokyo. Why in that place? It was rather simple.

_They´d been dancing for a while, not touching, more like goofing around and laughing at each other when Kazuhiko asked him about what his family thought of his job. _

"_They support me and they need my abilities from time to time," Louis murmured, "but they don't really like it."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_I can´t talk to any of them about trying different hairstyles or learning new techniques. I can´t go with any of them to look around some other salons or stuff because they get bored. I appreciate their support but, but I wish they could…"_

"_Understand you a bit better?"_

"_Yes."_

_Kazuhiko looked thoughtful. "There is a salon near Kiniguchi, you know, in the mall. It´s a good place to learn; most employees have over a decade of experience under their belt. Ryoko used to go there."_

"_Used to?"_

"_Mm-hmm. It´s an awesome place but also snotty. She couldn't take it and left like a year ago. I could take you there and say I´m looking for a dye."_

_Louis blinked. _

_The brunette grinned. "I want a dye and you´re coming with me because I want my hair to end up the same color as yours."_

"_You wouldn't mind?"_

"_Sounds like fun, actually."_

So there Louis was, walking to the mall entrance and looking over at the parking lot. He saw various silver sedans but didn't know if any of them belonged to Kazuhiko.

"Louis-san!"

The call came from the main doors. Louis looked there and saw the brunette leaning against the stairs railing wearing a sky-blue long-sleeved shirt, khaki pants and brown formal shoes.

"Seems like I´m underdressed," he murmured, looking at his navy blue sweatshirt, white jeans and white shoes, then at Kazuhiko and then to the people who came out of the mall with equally formal clothing.

"Nonsense," Kazuhiko replied. "You look as stylish as always."

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Why the formal attire?"

"Habit. Ryoko used to drag me along and she always came dressed up, but in truth it´s all a façade."

"Hmm." But Louis couldn't help smiling.

And then their day began.

They went inside and Kazuhiko quickly led them past all the snooty stores pointing out one or other window and making comments about his visits there before. It was an enlightening and funny experience. By the time they got to the salon, Louis couldn't stop his chuckles.

Inside the salon, they put up a spectacle Fuuto would have been proud of. Kazuhiko managed to entertain the woman who seemed very interested in dying his hair pink while Louis wandered off and pretended to be a little kid to gather whatever information and observe all he could. Of course he wasn't going to copy anything he saw, but it was still helpful.

About two hours later, they stumbled out of the salon after Kazuhiko said he suddenly changed his mind and wanted to keep his hair the color it was.

"That was sneaky," Louis said, amused, as they went back to walking around the mall.

"It was fun, though," Kazuhiko pointed out.

"And helpful. I learned quite a few tips. Thanks for coming with me. I hope you didn't get bored."

"Not in the least." The brunette went silent for a few seconds. "Louis-san?"

"What?"

"Do you have the rest of the day busy?"

Louis gave him a flat look with those mauve eyes of his. "It´s Sunday, Kazuhiko-san. I´m free most Sundays."

"That´s good! We can go someplace else then." Realizing what he´d said, Kazuhiko blushed. "If you want to, of course."

The redhead stared, then a slow smile curved his lips. "I´d like that. Where do you want to go?"

"Um… to talk a walk?"

"And then an ice-cream," he declared.

"Ice cream?"

"So the date can be complete." He got a tease glim in his eyes. "Because this is a date, isn't it, Kazuhiko-san? And I somehow get the feeling it won´t be the last one."

The brunette´s face turned even redder. He seemed speechless for a minute, then uttered, "No, Louis-san, it won´t be the last."

**To be continued…**


	7. Chapter 7: ¡Family Meeting!

¡Hallo! Today I´m bringing you a short chapter and it´s not the best chapter but I hope you like it. The title speaks for itself and it´s mostly the brothers informing you about the elipse I pulled off. :D Trust me, if I don´t do this the story will never get to a good point. ;) ¡Thank you for reading!

_**Ghost,**_ ¡I´m so glad to see you back! Thanks so much for leaving me a be truthful, I dont know either what´s kept you reading, but I´m glad you like how I write. Some people have told me I´m too descriptive, I don´t know if that could be it? Either way, it makes me happy to know you like the other chapter. Hopefully you´ll like this one too.

**_Guest, X_**D I´m really curious aswell. We`ll see what comes up but I promise you next week we´ll see Louis and Kazuhiko already ona couplish-state. :D Thanks for your review!

And now I´ll let you read. :D

**Chapter 7: ¡Family Meeting!**

The Asahinas were holding a partially secret family meeting. Partial and secret because only Masaomi, Ukyo, Azusa and Hikaru were attending.

The reason for the meeting: Hikaru´s surprise visit to the apartments.

The topic of the meeting: Louis´s suspicious behavior for the past five –almost six– months.

As for how the meeting began in the first place… it went like this:

_Once again, it was Sunday morning. The twins had had plans to go out to a convention, but Azusa had caught a cold and had been sneezing all over the living room since the very early morning. _

_Tsubaki, both worried and frustrated because of his brother, suddenly decided he was going out to get a doctor, medicines or whichever he found first, and that no force on this Earth would stop him, not even Ema, who said she´d go with him since she couldn't stop him. _

_This of course created an uproar in the house. _

_Tsubaki wasn't going to stay home. Ema wasn't going to allow him to go alone in his distressed state. Yuusuke came up with the excuse that there was no way he´d allow Tsuba-nii to go alone with Ema because he was too unstable at the moment and needed someone else with him in case he threw a tantrum or made a scandal. Seeing how it was turning out to be a family trip, Wataru decided he´d tag along as well. _

_About ten minutes after the four of them left, Masaomi arrived from his night shift at the hospital. He gave the youngster a once over before handing him some pills and giving strict orders to rest. It wasn't until then that it hit Azusa there was no need to go get out meds because they had a doctor home. _

_Masaomi decided he´d stay with Azusa until the others came back and the two of them lounged on the living room couches with the TV on. _

_Ukyo arrived fifteen minutes later from his weekly shopping trip with Hikaru in tow, who´d just come back from Spain. _

_Greetings were exchanged. The usual jokes were made. Hikaru announced he´d planned to stay two days before flying off to Hungary this time. It was after those words that he sprung the important question. _

"_Is Louie-chan home?"_

_Azusa sneezed his answer. Masaomi blinked, looked at Ukyo. The blonde shrugged. "Louis doesn't spend his Sundays at home anymore," he said. _

_Hikaru raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't."_

_Azusa nodded, coughed, spoke this time. "Not since the last time you came. In the past months, Louis has been going out around eight in the morning and coming back at nine on the night on Sundays." _

"_And he doesn't eat here on those days," Ukyo added. "On Saturdays he doesn't have dinner here, and on weeknights…" He looked thoughtful. _

"_Talk," Hikaru said, rolling his eyes. _

_Sky-blue eyes looked annoyed. "I was just thinking that apart from the food Louis hasn't been himself in the past… geez, five months or so, I´d say."_

And that's how then ended up moving to the dining table to move, each of them with a drink placed in front of them.

"You don't think Louis is doing drugs and that's why he´s changed so much do you?" Azusa asked, sipping his warm tea.

"No, I don't think that's it," Masaomi mused sipping a nonalcoholic beer. "I´ve seen Louis a lot lately and I´ve talked to him but he doesn't show any sign of using drugs or drinking alcohol. No matter how small, I´d have detected puffy eyes, a needle mark, needy tendencies, abstinence, anger… anything."

"No reason you should. He hasn't changed," Ukyo argued while holding his glass of soda, which earned him the stares of his three other brothers. "He hasn't changed, really."

"But you said…" Hikaru began as he raised his vodka glass to his lips.

"If you talk to him, see him or spend time with him he´s still the same, Hikaru. He hasn't changed his weekly routine or abandoned his job or gotten moody or other stuff. All he´s done is gone out much more and look happier."

Silence. A _long _silence.

… And then more silence.

"Drugs?" Azusa tried again.

Hikaru burst out laughing.

Ukyo fumed. "He´s not on drugs, dammit."

"Ukyo," Masaomi warned as if he were a little kid.

"I apologize, Masaomi-nii-san, but my point remains,"

"If Louis hasn't changed then what´s different about him?" Hikaru asked.

Ukyo gave him a flat look. "I just told you."

The redhead stared at his brother, then bit his lip. He hadn't been at home since the day he talked to that lady at the salon… Akiyama, was her name? and to Louis about getting a boyfriend. He´d left the next day and hadn't done much besides send an occasional email in the time he´d been gone. He´d arrived at the house hoping to talk to Louis to see how he was doing and was met by this instead. It wasn't good news unless…

"Hold it!" he cried, causing the others to jump.

"Hikaru, don't do that. What is it?" Masaomi said.

"Has Louis been talking a lot on the phone?"

"Phone?"

"The little electronic thing in which you press the buttons to dial a number."

"I know what a phone is, but I…"

"Now that you mention it, yes he has," Ukyo put in with a thoughtful look.

"Where and when?"

"When he comes home straight after work. Like half of the time he comes through the door talking to somebody, sometimes before dinner and sometimes when he´s about to have breakfast or while he´s eating."

"And you say he´s been going out."

"Oh yes."

"And you don't think he goes out to work."

"Unless he does house calls now," Masaomi said, and his eyes brightened. "Of course! That must be it."

Hikaru knew what 'it' meant already, though he suspected the 'it' he saw in his mind was definitely different from the one Masaomi was thinking. He wasn't going to say a word, though. Not until he con a confirmation from Louis; verbal, visual or otherwise.

The thought made him smile.

Just to keep up his appearance of ignorance he said, "What is 'it', Masaomi-nii-san?"

"Louis is dating somebody," the eldest announced proudly.

Again, silence took over.

"Louis dating," Azusa said confused. "It doesn't sound right."

"He´s never dated before," Ukyo mumbled.

"But each of you here has at least once and I´ve learned to see the signs." Masaomi smiled. "I should have figured it sooner but I was too distracted. This is good for Louis, you know, but I wonder why he´s kept it a secret. It´s been almost half a year after all."

"Maybe he isn't ready to introduce her to us," Azusa offered.

Hikaru couldn't help but chuckle.

If Louis hadn't brought… what was his name? Kaz… Kazuo? Kazuhiro? Well, whatever his name was if he hadn't shown up at the apartments yet it was because Louis hadn't asked him to. Hikaru knew his otouto was that unthoughtful.

Or then again, they couldn't be dating.

Was that even possible? If Louis was acting the way he was and Masaomi –the personification of perception– already knew it… maybe they were going out but weren't a couple yet.

Knowing Louis, it wasn't as impossible as it had first sounded.

Could it be neither of the boys knew how to move forward? Could it be that neither of them had the nerve to make it official or didn't want to do it yet?

"For God´s sake, one of them has gotta be the seme," Hikaru said as he felt himself frown.

Azusa overheard. Thanks to his job he knew the lingo used in the various types of anime that were produced every year, and he´d heard 'seme' enough times to know what it implied.

"Seme?" he whispered, eyes wide.

The redhead blinked, stared, then smiled. "Personally, I think Louis would be more the uke type, but you get the idea," he said with a shrug.

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8: What Are We?

Hi! ^^ Here is chapter eight and it´s… longish. I guess I´m bipolar, huh? Sometimes I write long and other times I write like really short stuff… *huff* Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter. Personally, I liked how it came out, just don't get mad or anything at the end, ´kay? ;)

**Chapter 8: What Are We?**

Louis was worried. He´d spent too much time with Kazuhiko lately and had therefore learned that the brunette´s face changed color according to his mood or what he felt. He´d seen him tomato red when embarrassed or angry; rose pink when he was happy, amused or slightly uncomfortable; kind of white when an idea appalled or offended him, and yes, his skin was creamy and peachy, but Louis had never seen him like this: paper white, white enough that he looked green around the edges.

That was what worried him. It also scared him, made him think the brunette was going to throw up or faint. Both if he kept on looking so pale.

Louis would have made a joke about it if he hadn't been feeling so weak himself. His stomach felt as heavy as lead. His legs shook. He wanted to sit down but he also wanted to run out of the movie theatre he was in at the moment.

It appeared others had the same idea, seeing how they all ran to the exit doors or the bathrooms.

For some reason, the thought made Louis nauseous. He stopped walking, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He would not throw up. He would not throw up.

Kazuhiko didn't stop when he did. He walked to the closest wall and leaned against it.

"Louis-san," he said after a few seconds, voice hoarse and broken.

"Mmm." The murmured answer was less audible than usual.

"We´re never attending a gore festival again, do you hear me? Never. Again. In our lives. Agreed?"

The redhead opened his eyes. Gave a slight nod. "Agreed."

Kazuhiko swallowed, then held out his right pinky finger with a serious face. Louis managed to five a light chuckle as he entwined his own finger with the brunette´s. At this point, it didn't surprise him anymore that Akiyama Kazuhiko would do something as childish as a pinky swear.

Still somber, the brunette said, "Let´s get out of here."

"Where are we going to go?"

"We could go eat at the…" and Kazuhiko stopped talking when he saw how Louis´s white skin turned a sickly color. It reminded him of one of the many… _butchered _guys he´d seen in the last movie of the gore marathon, and he felt himself grow weaker.

"Never mind! No food!" he cried, waving his arms. "Forget I said it! No food, no food at all! Let´s not think about edible stuff right now."

The redhead swallowed, then said, "We don't have many choices as to where to go."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Louis shrugged and began counting of with his fingers as he spoke. "We´ve gone out one too many times. Let´s see… we already went to the movies, the zoo, museums, art exhibits, clubs, just to dinner… we´ve gone hiking, to the park, a water park, an amusement park, a play and…" he tilted his head. "I think we even attended an opera, didn't we, last month?"

Kazuhiko wrinkled his nose as he tried to remember. After giving it a deep thought he nodded. "That´s a lot of places," he commented.

"I know. Is that okay with you?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

Louis blinked. "When we met you Ryoko-san insisted you were in love with one of the hairdressers at the salon. I thought maybe because we´ve spent too much time together you haven't been able to look at her or whatever you did."

"I was not in love in the first place!" Kazuhiko exclaimed, then frowned at Louis. "I don't meant to be rude, Louis-san, but you can´t tell me you haven't figured it out yet."

The redhead lowered his eyes. "I know we´ve gone on dates, Kazuhiko-san, and I´m not telling you I don't like them or your company, but if I am by any chance interfering…"

Had that been a freaking chapter in a shojo manga, Kazuhiko would have stopped Louis´s words with their first kiss and then confess it was really him he was in love with and the female stylist excuse had been merely an excuse.

As it was he said, "Um, well, the whole hairdresser thing was a big, ah, misunderstanding from the very start. And, uh, I didn't say anything. Ryoko was the one who began the lie."

"I must admit you just lost me."

The brunette was about to panic. Why did Louis have to bring that up now, almost six months later? They´d been going out at least once a week, spending some Saturday evening together and all Sundays by themselves ever since Ryoko´s wedding passed. While they´d gone more as friends than anything else Louis himself referred to them as _dates. _As in a couple, not as friends.

Then why was he asking about the imaginary girl Ryoko had made up?

Trying to keep his voice from showing the senseless panic he was feeling he said, "Let me deal with that, Louis-san, but there is no reason to worry at all. I´m happy spending so much time with you."

Louis smiled, then shook his head. "Ditto," he whispered only for his own ears.

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In the end, the boys decided they didn't want to go anywhere else. The gore festival had been more than enough for one day. Since they didn't want to eat either, they called it a night.

"See you soon, Kazuhiko-san," Louis said with a weak smile, and prepared to leave, but the brunette said, "Wait."

He turned. "What is it?"

"I said I like spending time with you."

"And do I."

Kazuhiko smiled. "But it turns out I enjoy it so much I´m driving you home tonight."

Louis rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he heard the offer, and it wouldn't be the first time he rejected it either. "I appreciate it, but no thanks. You know I can get home by myself."

"Normally, I´d agree, but someone´s looking very pale at the moment, and someone´s legs are shaking too."

"…It hasn't stopped?"

Kazuhiko laughed. "I promise to never ask again if you let me drive you home tonight. How does that sound? You know I keep my promises."

The redhead stared into those big and deep brown eyes. He saw the amusement and the determination, the willingness and honesty they emanated. In the end, he couldn't do anything but nod.

"Thank you," he said.

"My pleasure," Kazuhiko replied, then asked, "Where do you live?"

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"And now?"

"Turn right at the next corner and then go straight ahead until you see the Liu supermarket."

"Got it." Kazuhiko nodded and pressed the accelerator slightly, his eyes checking out his surroundings at the same time. According to Louis, they were about two and a half blocks away from his house and the neighborhood there were passing through was an average on. It certainly wasn't as luxurious as the one Ryoko lived on, and the brunette was surprised. From what he knew about the Asahina family, he´d hoped to see an elite condo in an elite neighborhood. It was… interesting to find out he´d been wrong.

"Liu supermarket up front," he called when he saw the big sign.

"Left and left again."

He nodded.

When he made the second left he entered a bright and calm neighborhood. The houses here were much bigger than the ones they´d left behind. A five-story building stood out in a more than obvious manner.

"Let me guess. The tall building is your house," Kazuhiko said as he drove closer to it.

"Sunrise Residence," Louis agreed.

"How do the fourteen of you accommodate?"

"Our rooms and bathrooms are distributed from the first to the fourth floor. We also have a living room on the first. The fifth floor holds the kitchen, dining room, main living room and the rest of the familiar… places, I guess you could call them. We also have a terrace, a vast backyard and an ample front yard."

"Wow. And where´s your room?"

"Third floor. I used to share it with Subaru-kun and Iori-kun but now I have it all to myself."

"Why?"

"Subaru-kun is a professional basketball player and he moved out about eight months ago. Iori went on an student exchange program to America around the same time."

"But they´ll come back."

"Subaru-kun definitely won´t. I´m not sure about Iori, but even if he does come back he´ll probably want to live on his own like Natsume-nii-san or Hikaru-nii-san. Only time will tell."

Kazuhiko nodded, stopped the car in front of the Sunrise Residence entrance and took a peek inside. "Geez. It´s huge."

"It is." Louis smiled. "We can return earlier another day and I´ll show you around if you want."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Sure…" Kazuhiko grinned. "You know, I just thought of something."

"Mmm?"

"We agreed no more movie festivals, but what about a movie marathon over at my apartment? That's one place we haven't hung out at. Maybe, sometime in the future, we can have a marathon here at your house. What do you think?"

At his house? Louis blanched at the idea of being with Kazuhiko and his brothers in the same room, so he said, "Your apartment yes. This place… after I give you a tour and you still want to come we´ll see."

"I´ll return another day for the tour," Kazuhiko said solemnly.

"All right." The redhead nodded, then smiled again. "Thanks for the ride.

"Have a good night, Louis-san."

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Louis was very surprised when as soon as he set foot in the building he heard Hikaru cry, "Welcome home, Louie-chan! How was your date?!"

The youngster jumped, eyes wide. "Hikaru-nii-san. You´re back."

"Arrived a few hours ago, yes."

"Why are you down here in the dark?"

"I was waiting for you, obviously. So, how was it?"

"How was what?"

"Your date with Kazuo, of course."

Louis looked amused. "Kazuo?"

"That's right, the boy from the salon, the one we talked about that day. Did you have fun?"

Louis thought about correcting Hikaru on the name, then decided against it. "I´ve had more fun," he answered.

Hikaru blinked in surprise. "You have?"

"Mm-hmm. For example, we went to visit the cherry trees last week, then we watched the dancers that were performing near them."

"Central park, I assume."

Louis nodded, smiled, then frowned. "Wait a second. How do you know…?"

"Apparently, you haven't been acting like yourself at all these past five or six months. Azusa thought you were doing drugs and Ukyo didn't know what the hell was wrong with you."

"… They shouldn't worry. I´m fine."

"I know you´re fine. I know why you're acting this way and so does Masaomi-nii-san… well, sort of." Hikaru grinned. "You have a boyfriend, Louie-chan. Congratulations!"

**.**

**.**

**.**

Louis stared at him…

And then exploded in a fit of laughter.

"_You have a boyfriend, Louie-chan. Congratulations!"_

"A boyfriend, Hikaru-nii-san? I don't have a boyfriend," he said between chuckles.

The eldest stared. "Of course you do! Kazuo…"

"He and I are… uh… we are…" Louis bit his lip. His brow furrowed as he tried to think.

He and Kazuhiko were… what?

They certainly weren't a couple. At least… at least not officially.

Besides, there was the hairdresser Kazuhiko loved.

And they were both men.

And he didn't know for sure if Kazuhiko was straight or no.

And neither of them had suggested snything romantic.

And Louis had never dated anyone before.

And…

"Well, Hikaru-nii-san, you've just things in perspective for me," Louis admitted. His expression turned rather sad.

Hikaru bristled. "I what?!"

"You got me thinking is all. I just realized… I don't really know what I´ve gotten myself into." Louis gave a deep sigh and shook his head. "Let´s go upstairs."

"Er… are you hungry?" Hikaru was beginning to panic.

"Hungry?" Louis paled again. He fought not to gag. "No, no food please. I only want to go my room."

And so he went to the elevator and pushed the button to open the doors.

Hikaru stayed frozen on his place.

"Damn it. I know I just did something," he hissed. "But I don't know what it is I did."

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Tuesday night and Louis was still figuring out what was his relationship with Akiyama Kazuhiko. His mind was nothing but a jumble of questions and memories.

Was he supposed to ask Kazuhiko what they were? Was he supposed to wait for the other to realize what was going on? Was he supposed to…?

"Why are you so sad, Louis-san?"

The redhead´s thoughts were interrupted by Kazuhiko´s soft question. He blinked and glanced at the brunette, who was crouched in front of the TV at his apartment with the DVD´s remote control in his hand. Caramel eyes were regarding Louis intensely.

"Sad?" Louis echoed from his position on the sofa. He attempted to smile. "I´m not sad."

"Worried and thoughtful, then." Kazuhiko didn't miss a beat. "Do you feel okay?"

"Yes. I´m fine. Just… thinking." Louis bit his lip and decided to change the subject. "How´s your thesis coming along? It´s almost finished, right?"

The brunette stared at him for a couple more seconds, then sighed and stood up. "Thanks to all the help you've given me it´s pretty much done," he said, and ambled back to the sofa.

"Graduation´s in three weeks?"

"That's right. You´ll come, won´t you, Louis-san? I´ll love to have you there, and Ryoko´s dying to see you again."

Louis chuckled. The last time he´d seen Akiyama Ryoko had been four months ago. He and Kazuhiko had planned to go to a museum. On their way there, Ryoko had called her brother in a panic saying she and Isao-san were back from their honeymoon but didn't arrange for transport and that since she had such a considerate little brother it´d be a waste to use a taxi.

They´d been traveling on foot, so he and Kazuhiko had to rush back to the brunette´s apartment to get his car. Louis tried to avoid going to the airport, but in the end got dragged into the car.

Needless to say, Ryoko was happy Louis had gone to meet her.

"Of course I´ll go," he mumbled. "If that's what she wants."

"It is." Kazuhiko nodded. "Louis-san, are you really all right? When I called you yesterday night to come over today you sounded… off." His eyes narrowed. "This wouldn't have anything to do with what happened at the theatre, would it?"

"Uh, what happened at the theatre?"

"You were worried you were interfering," the brunette recalled. His face closed down.

"Ah, yes, that." Louis frowned.

When Kazuhiko saw the frown, he sighed.

He´d spent all Monday wondering if he had to tell Louis about the fake hairdresser thing. Right after the redhead popped out the question on Sunday, Kazuhiko mulled over the whole situation and came to a very simple conclusion.

Louis was obviously open to becoming more than friends with him; he didn't seem to mind that they were both men and he was the one who hinted having more than one date in the first place. Therefore, if Kazuhiko wanted a relationship with the mysterious redhead… things had to be clear between them.

Decision made.

"Louis-san, about the hairdresser…" he began.

Mauve eyes widened in surprise, and Louis spoke before he could even think about what he was about to say. "I don't want to stop seeing you," he said.

"… You don't?" Kazuhiko flushed as he said it.

Louis realized what he´d done, and decided right then that he´d straighten things out once and for all. For his own good.

"I don't know what´s the deal between us two. I really don't, Kazuhiko-san, but I´ll tell you one selfish thing," he went on quietly. He hugged his knees to his chest and laid his cheek on them so he could look at the brunette sideways. "Whatever it is we have, I´ve come to appreciate and value. If I´m to be truthful with you, I don't want to lose it…" He smiled, embarrassed at his own words. "… For anything."

The brunette stared at him, openmouthed, flabbergasted, incredulous.

Had Louis just confessed? Well yeah, there had been a confession though Kazuhiko wasn't completely sure why Louis had done it.

¿Friendship? Nope.

¿Love? No…

_Not yet, _a smile voice said in his head.

"Louis-san," he managed to say.

Louis gave an awkward chuckle. "I know that sounded stupid, Kazuhiko-san, but it´s still the truth. Even though I´m aware of your feelings towards the hairdresser…"

"That was a lie!"

He stopped talking. "Huh?"

"It was a lie!" Kazuhiko repeated. He frowned at how idiotic he sounded. His frown deepened when he became aware of how stupid he´d been acting the past five minutes. Geez, he needed to get a grip and think straight!

"It was a lie, but it also wasn't," he whispered.

Louis gave him wide eyes, his expression curious. "I don't understand," he said.

Kazuhiko gulped. He looked at the floor, back at Louis, then extended his arm to wrap his long fingers around one of the pale wrists. He pulled gently. Louis disentangled himself and followed the movement Kazuhiko started. He inched closer to the brunette. When their faces were less than ten inches apart, Kazuhiko placed his free hand on Louis chin.

"I don't want to lose what we have either," he admitted, swallowed hard, then gently pressed his lips against Louis´s half-parted ones.

**To be continued…**


	9. Chapter 9: A New Complication

Chapter nine, people! ^^ I think this is the first story I´ve written in English that's managed to survive more than four chapters, and I´m proud of it. Thank you all for favoriting and following this story. It means a lot to me, and thanks a thousand million times to all the people who´ve left me a review. It makes me want to keep on writing. :D So… here it is, the next part. I hope you like it, and as usual… THANKS FOR READING!

**Chapter 9: A New Complication**

Louis´s lack of romantic experience had never bothered him until then. So maybe he´d recently turned twenty-two and had never really liked anyone before; so maybe he´d never kissed anyone on the lips; so maybe he´d never gone out on a romantic date… oh, scratch the last bit. He´d tone the latter with Kazuhiko over and over in the past months… nevertheless, Louis had never given his love life much thought.

In that particular moment though, as he felt soft and moist lips press against his own, he felt both curious and embarrassed. As those lips moved against his, both feelings intensified. A rather stupid question popped into his head.

How do you kiss somebody?

He had no previous knowledge about the subject. Of course he´d read books and seen TV and even the boring romantic comedies Yusuke was so fond of, but none of those things explained how you were supposed to kiss someone.

His embarrassment grew. So did his curiosity.

He opened his eyes without realizing he´d closed them to find Kazuhiko´s face too close, their lips still pressed together, the other´s eyes closed. Louis´s breath ran out in a soft gasp.

The brunette seemed to sense the reluctance because he pulled back and opened his eyes. His fingers didn't stop cupping the pale chin.

"Louis-san," Kazuhiko whispered between worried and scared.

He swallowed hard, then stammered, "I´m sorry, I´m so sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I… I just… I don't…" What was he supposed to say now?

The fear grew on the caramel eyes. "You don't want to kiss me?"

The redhead´s blush came on so sudden and violent he felt dizzy for a couple of seconds. Kazuhiko´s eyes widened at the reaction.

"I see," he said, disappointment written all over his face. His fingers loosened on Louis´s chin… and the redhead´s fingers landed on top of his hand. His eyes widened even more.

"Kazuhiko-san," Louis tried again, found himself speechless, then remembered actions spoke more than words, so he closed his eyes and leaned in.

His lips met the brunette´s. As soon as _that_ happened, his mind went blank.

Kazuhiko didn't need any more prompting. He cupped Louis´s chin with his fingers again, tilted the redhead´s face upward and deepened the kiss. It wasn't an "'I´ll eat you from the mouth kiss', but it wasn't a peck either. This time, Louis´s lips parted enough for Kazuhiko to taste him decently.

When it was over, they looked at one another from inches away. The brunette´s face was flushed pink. His eyes shone with delight. Louis looked at him through mauve slits. Things began to click inside his head as he stared at the brunette´s ¿satisfied? face.

"Am I… the hairdresser?" he asked.

Kazuhiko stared back for a couple of seconds, then chuckled. "Took you long enough," he mumbled.

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The movie marathon was soon forgotten. They ended up sitting in the couch across each other with an even more curious Louis and an even more uncomfortable Kazuhiko.

The reason was simple.

"You thought I was a woman?" Louis said with disbelief for the.. what? Umpteenth time?

"Louis-san, I…" Kazuhiko stuttered again.

"I know I look nothing like Subaru-kun, Kaname-nii-san or… or even Fuuto-kun… but a woman? Do I dress and act like Hikaru-nii-san does when he´s working?" Louis frowned.

The brunette swallowed. "Hikaru… cross-dressing novelist, right?"

Louis nodded curtly.

"The one time I saw him he was dressed like a man."

The redhead rolled his eyes at the answer, took out his phone and flicked through his picture albums until he found the images he wanted.

"Here," he said, and handed over the object.

Kazuhiko took it and looked. He went pale. "No! I don't mean woman in that way."

"But you said…"

"I don't know why I never noticed. I just… stopped at the salon one day, took a glance at you and came back the next day. Every time I looked at you… well, you looked cute, Louis-san, and pretty. Plus, I watched you work wonders with the most untamable hair and… I took a liking to you." Kazuhiko rubbed his head. "I´m really sorry. I was so wrong and I can't figure out why I didn't find out sooner."

Louis looked down at himself. He could admit his dressing style was very different from most men´s, even Kazuhiko´s. While both of them preferred to get on with jeans and t-shirts, the brunette went for dark jeans, plain shirts, polo style sometimes and in solid colors. Louis on the other hand used bright colors, patterns and liked slightly exotic combinations.

Another thing, he was very, _very _slender. He wasn't_ skinny, _but nothing like… hell, ¿Subaru-kun?

Oh, and he couldn't forget the hair. None of his brothers except Hikaru wore their hair long, and even so, the elder wore it long because he tried to look like a woman and didn't fiddle with it as much as Louis did.

Throw in his job and his workplace…

"I need a new life," he muttered, and pulled his hair back in a low ponytail with a jerk. He frowned. Maybe he should get a haircut and dress like he did when he was younger.

"Don't say that! Aren´t you happy with your life?" Kazuhiko exclaimed.

"I was, but if you confused me with a woman then I must indeed…"

"Look, that was my own and huge idiocy acting, Louis-san. It had nothing to do with you." He hesitated before adding, "You´re fine just the way you are."

"Did I look like I needed to be comforted?"

"… A little bit, yes."

The redhead´s frown deepened. He hugged his knees to his chest again and shook his head. He muttered something Kazuhiko couldn't understand.

"Don't get mad. You never get mad, Louis-san."

"What did you think when you realized I was a man?"

Kazuhiko gulped. He´d never seen Louis as serious as he was now. He had to give an answer.

"I panicked," he admitted. "I admit I freaked out at first. But… I was still attracted to you, and thanks to Ryoko I came to know you. I liked you and that wasn't going to change. I stopped caring that we were both men long before we started with our dates."

Louis processed the words. He let them sink in. When they did, he said, "I´m sorry, Kazuhiko-san."

"What for?"

"Fooling you, I guess."

"I think in the end it all worked for the better, so no apologies."

Louis didn't look convinced.

Deciding to take a risk, Kazuhiko got closer to him so he could kiss him again. Louis didn't shy away, but he didn't seem too thrilled about it either.

"You _are_ okay with us doing this, aren't you?" the brunette verified.

"Yes, I´m more than okay with it." The redhead gave an extremely embarrassed smile. "But I´m afraid you´ll have to teach me how to do all of this."

"You´ve told me a couple times you haven't dated anyone in your life. You were serious?"

"Up until you, no one seemed interesting enough."

A long way of saying yes, Kazuhiko thought, then his eyes widened.

Did Louis mean he´d just received his first kiss? Kazuhiko had given him his first freaking kiss?

Letting out a gasp, Kazuhiko changed his kissing attempt into a hugging attempt, which surprised Louis.

"Kazuhiko-san?" he mumbled.

"I´m not the most experienced thing out there, Louis-san, but what I can, I´ll teach you. What neither of us knows… we´ll learn together."

The redhead blinked, chuckled. "Cheesy," he said.

"Yep. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't." And he really didn't.

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Louis arrived home feeling dazed. He wasn't confused anymore, only numb.

So… officially, he had a boyfriend now. His name was Akiyama Kazuhiko, and he was a caring, childish and honest person.

_Boyfriend. _

"Boyfriend." He said the word out loud as if to make it more real. As soon as he did it, he laughed at his own foolishness. He stepped into the first floor of the Sunrise Residence… and stumbled upon Masaomi sitting on one of the couches reading his favorite medical journal.

"Masaomi-nii-san, good evening," the redhead greeted, feeling slightly surprised.

"Ah, Louis! I expected you later," the eldest replied, which was true. He´d gotten there only a minute earlier and had been prepared to wait until midnight for his otouto to arrive.

"You _expected_ me?"

"Mmm-huh." Masaomi nodded. "Hikaru told me you´d gone out on a date and that you were probably going to come home after eleven."

"Hikaru-nii-san told you?!"

The brunette laughed. "Don't look so scared, Louis. It´s not like I didn't know."

Louis went speechless for the second time that night.

Masaomi chuckled, shook his head. "Relax. I´m not going to scold you. Not like I could anyway. You´re a grown boy, after all, and to tell you the truth, I´m glad you´re dating someone. It was about time."

"Um…"

"I was getting a bit worried. You´re twenty-two now and you´d never had a girlfriend before… I was going to ask a friend of mine to talk to you about it. But now you've met the right girl and you´re dating her and… I just planned to wait up to tell you that I´m happy for you. So are the rest."

Girl? The rest?

"M-Masaomi-nii-san, do the others know…" Louis began.

"Oh no, they don't, but you know what I mean. Why? Don't you want the family to meet and get to know her?"

"It´s… it´s complicated."

"It´s been over five months. The family would be glad to meet the girl who managed to get your attention. Ema would be more than thrilled to have another female to talk to. You have to bring her over."

Louis felt horrified.

His brother thought he was… er… dating a girl? A girl?

Uh-oh.

"I´ll think about it," he mumbled, and tried to smile. "Even if… uh, she isn't what you, er, think, would you want to meet my… partner?"

Masaomi tilted his head to the side. "Sure I would. It´d be nice to see who caught your eye."

"Right. Thanks, Masaomi-nii-san. Like I said, I´ll think about it." Before any more questions could be asked, Louis fled to the elevator.

Now _there_ was a problem he hadn't thought he´d face.

What would his family think about his relationship? His _romantic _relationship with a _man_?

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"Eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!" Pause. Then, "eeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!" again.

Kazuhiko backed away from his sister as fast as he could. "Stop it! Stop it, nee-san! Don't squeal again, _please_!" he begged, rubbing his ear.

"Kaz! Ryoko screamed, ignoring him completely. "I´m so very happy for you!"

"Yeah, thanks, but for the love of God, stop screaming."

"But.."

"I mean it, Ryoko. Stop it."

Since Kazuhiko rarely called her by her name, she decided to calm down, but her excitement couldn't be controlled.

"I love coincidences!" she chirped.

"Ha! You coming here tonight wasn't a coincidence."

"It was!" And it really was.

_One hour earlier, Ryoko had been with Isao in their new house. They´d been having dinner, and Ryoko had been staring at her rice thoughtfully and mumbling something only she could understand. _

"_Something wrong?" Isao asked. He prepared himself for an explosion. _

"_Wrong? Oh no," she answered. "I´m just worried about Kaz." _

"_What´s up with him?"_

"_I don't know. I haven't heard from him in over two weeks." She frowned. _

_Isao, already used to the mother-hen mode his wife favored when it came to her brother, sighed. "You should check on him then."_

"_I should, shouldn't I?"_

"_Yep."_

_Ryoko didn't need to be told twice. She filled a plastic container with food, put on her coat and was out the door and on her way to Kazuhiko´s apartment fifteen minutes later. _

_Just as she arrived, Louis was leaving. She went ecstatic about seeing him and tried to convince him to stay, but Louis won the round and left… not before kissing Kazuhiko goodbye. _

_It had been a peck more than anything else but it was enough to throw her into fangirl mode. _

"So now it´s official?" she asked, bouncing in place.

Kazuhiko rolled his eyes. "Nee-san…"

"I mean, he kissed you goodbye. _He_ kissed _you_. Not the other way around. It must mean you two are a couple, right?"

"I guess. I mean, we just cleared that up and…"

She squealed again. "You got together _just now_? Aw, that´s so cute, Kaz, so very cute. He´s adorable. Even you are adorable."

"… Okay."

"Today´s the seventh, so you´ll have to give him a gift a month from now on."

"Why would I do that?"

"To celebrate your anniversary, of course! Your first month together!"

"Uh…"

Aw, you´re going to make a really cute couple, believe me, Kaz. I´m so freaking happy!"

"I can tell, and I…"

"Louis-san will be such a great brother-in-law! I mean, he´ll…" Kazuhiko´s hand landed over her mouth to shut her up.

"Nee-san," he said, face serious, "calm down. Seriously. It´s not that big a deal."

"B…"

"No buts. I´m happy to know I have your support, and Louis-san will be glad as well, and I hope it all works out… but you´re forgetting something."

"What?"

"What will his family think?"

Now, _those words_ managed to make Ryoko calm down, go pale even.

Kazuhiko nodded. "Twelve brothers and a sister he has to tell."

"Are you sure he´s going to tell them?"

"He will, but I bet he hasn't realized that yet." The youngster sighed. "Again, thanks for your support, but I have the feeling it´ll be needed much later."

**To be continued…**


	10. Chapter 10: One Down, Eleven to Go

Hi! Blake coming to deliver the next chapter! ;) Once again, I want to thank everyone for reading, following and favoriting this story. Also, thanks so, so, so, so MUCH for the reviews! They really motivate me to keep writing. :D

_**Ghost,**_ hi! It´s great to hear from you again. I´m really glad you like the story, hahaha, and we´ll see their reactions soon enough… I think. Thank you so much for your words. I hope you´re not disappointed with what´ll come next. o

_**Guest**_, LOL, fangirl all you want, it makes me happy to know you do it. :D Thanks a lot for your review, and about the brothers… Hikaru is in this one, so I hope you like him, and about Tsubaki and Kaname… we´ll see what comes up. :3

So here it is, fluffy chapter ten. Hope you like all the sweet stuff!

**Chapter 10: One Down, Eleven to Go**

Louis stared at the drawing he held in his hands and didn't know what to make of it. He stared, he frowned, he rolled it over. He stared some more, then changed the paper´s position once again.

"Is this the head?" he murmured. He pointed to a roundish object on the paper.

Kazuhiko, who was looking over the redhead´s shoulder, frowned. "Looks like a curl in the hair to me," he said.

Louis tilted his head to the side. "Oh?"

"Yeah… oh, no, hold on. Now it kind of looks like a cloud… or is it a bush?"

He chuckled at the brunette´s confused tone and imaginative thinking. "I still think it´s the head, but we´ll wait for Ryoko-san to come and confirm." He lowered the drawing onto the couch he was sitting on. As soon as he did it, he felt arms wrap around his neck, felt a chin rest on top of his hair.

"She´s a terrible artist. No wonder she hated art class all through her school life. Now that I remember, she went pale when I told her I was getting a career in architecture," Kazuhiko mumbled, perfectly at ease with what he´d done and ignoring how the couch´s back dug into his middle as he hugged Louis. The latter let out another chuckle.

"What?"

"Are you really Japanese, Kazuhiko-san?"

"Of course! Or… Ryoko says our mother was half Nepali. Why?"

"Mmm, Japanese people are very reserved when it comes to showing affection, you know. I just wondered…" Louis let his voice trail off, but the meaning of the sentence got through.

"Ah." Kazuhiko gave an embarrassed laugh but didn't release him. "Sorry. Does it bother you?"

"I´m getting used to it." Not to cause confusion he added, "I like it, but are you always this…?"

"Cuddly?" Ryoko finished as she appeared in front of the two men. She wore an amused expression. "You bet he is, and it´s my fault, I´m afraid."

The brunette snorted. Louis blinked at her. "What do you mean?"

"I´m sure you know of the early stages of our relationship, the terrible scar and all."

Louis nodded.

"After our father died, something in me woke up… and I clung to Kaz as much as I could," she went on matter-of-factly. "He was the only thing I had left, and I spoiled him rotten until he got into high school."

"Not the 'toy buying' kind of spoiling," Kazuhiko said. "More the 'good morning, good afternoon and goodnight kiss' sort of spoiling. I think nee-san thought I was a teddy bear of some kind until I told her it was embarrassing."

"Which you did in high school."

"That's right. It didn't help much, though. She kept on being very affectionate with me."

"I stopped only when he moved out of our house and into his own apartment," Ryoko said. She looked sad. "I realized he was a big boy then and stopped treating him like a baby."

"For the most part," Kazuhiko added.

"For the most part," she agreed. "But the damage was done. I passed the cuddling disease on to him and…" she stopped talking then, her eyes wide.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Ryoko-san?"

"Uh, no, nothing." She gave an angelic smile, hoping he´d let it go. She´d been about to say that the girlfriends Kazuhiko had had before had at first been surprised and comfortable about how unreserved he was about showing affection, but after a couple of weeks they fallen head over heels for him and his adorable nature. She wasn't bragging. The girls had told her themselves more than two times. Even though Louis was a boy, she was sure the same thing would happen… eventually.

Of course, she couldn't say any of that out loud. One must never talk about exes with the in-laws. It was a rule… somewhere.

"You were holding back, weren't you?" the redhead murmured.

Kazuhiko gave an almost imperceptible shrug. "We were friends before and you can´t touch a friend this freely. Now we´re more than that and like Ryoko told you, it´s a very bad habit of mine."

In romantic relationships touch was important, Louis knew, to Akiyama Kazuhiko it mattered even more. And was it a bad habit? He didn't think so.

"I doubt cuddling someone you like is a bad habit," he said. "Kind of strange for a Japanese maybe, but not bad."

The brunette went still, then gave a deep laugh.

"You´re too accepting of me," he half-complained, and he released the redhead.

"If he weren't, he couldn't put up with the nutcase you are," Ryoko spoke again. She winked at Louis, who only shook his head and stood up.

"Since Kazuhiko-san has changed back into his usual clothing and Ryoko-san isn't dragging him to the dressing rooms anymore, I assume his suit for the graduation has been chosen," he said, and looked around the clothing store he´d been in for the past three hours of so.

Ryoko grinned. Kazuhiko rolled his eyes.

"It´s chosen," the brunette confirmed in a sullen tone. "But I don't like the big deal we´re making out of this. Graduation is a week away."

"Kaz, you´re graduating from college. We have to make it a big deal," Ryoko said.

"Not as big as what you´re planning. The suit and the dinner after…"

"You should just enjoy yourself this time," Louis put in with a gentle smile. "Remember you only graduate college once, Kazuhiko-san."

The brunette opened his mouth to complain, took a look at the smile he was being offered… and sighed. The sigh said he´d given up.

"Fine, Louis-san, only if you promise you´ll be with me through the whole torture my dear nee-san has planned."

"It´s not going to be bad."

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow.

Louis´s smile widened. "All right, if that's what you want." He picked up the drawing and shook it a couple of times. "Now, Ryoko-san, can you tell me why you gave me this drawing and what does it mean?"

"The drawing?" She blinked, then beamed. "Oh. It´s the style I want you to do on my hair on graduation day."

Mauve eyes flicked to the mess on the paper. "Okay. What´s this round object? Is it the head?"

"No. It´s an ear. I wanted to give you all the details."

The men exchanged glances. The redhead gave a very small smile.

"Nee-san, you should have printed the style," Kazuhiko said.

"Huh? Why?"

Another glance exchange.

"Let us say this is abstract art," Louis mumbled, and both men laughed when Ryoko´s expression only turned confused.

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"Can you see him?"

"No. Not yet. Are you sure he´s around here?"

"I´m pretty sure. The ceremony ended twenty minutes ago. He should be coming out anytime now."

"I´ll keep looking." Louis patted Ryoko´s hand where it rested on his forearm before he raised his eyes back to the amphitheater where Kazuhiko´s graduation ceremony had taken place. It had been a posh ceremony, even for Louis´s exotic tastes. A rich people´s ceremony in fact, but he shouldn't be surprised. After knowing about the Akiyamas´ real estate company…

"There he is!"

Louis looked where Ryoko was pointing. Indeed, he saw Kazuhiko´s light brown hair and caramel eyes very close to them already.

"Come on, Louis-san." Without releasing his arm –where she´d been clinging the whole time, from the moment the ceremony began to the very end– she pulled him towards her brother, who spotted them as soon as they took a step.

"There you are!" the brunette cried, a smile plastered on his face. He looked flawless in the black suit Ryoko had made him buy, and the tie matched his eyes almost to perfection.

"Kaz!" Ryoko released Louis for the first time that afternoon to throw herself to her brother, who looked surprised at first, then laughed and returned the hug.

Kazuhiko waited for his sister to speak, waited for her to utter 'congratulations' or some proud scold about anything… but Ryoko stayed mute. She stayed silent as she squeezed him with all her strength.

"Um, nee-san?" the youngster murmured, and pulled away to see Ryoko´s face drenched in tears. Her makeup had run.

"Since when do you cry in silence?" he uttered, truly astounded. Her sister was not a silent person.

She gave a watery smile as more tears flowed. "Don't be so rude. Kaz, I… I…" she sniffled, rubbed at her face and shook her head. "Give me a moment. I need to clean myself up." In a very un-Ryoko manner, she walked away from Kazuhiko in the bathrooms´ direction.

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow, then turned and found Louis waiting patiently in front of him. His eyes brightened.

"Louis-san," he said. His smile returned.

"Kazuhiko-san," the redhead replied, and took a step forward to congratulate his _boyfriend_, but Kazuhiko was faster, and Louis found himself, once again, wrapped up in a pair of long and warm arms.

Unable to move much, the redhead let himself be hugged. "My most honest congratulations and best wishes. I hope you´re proud of yourself, because Ryoko-san is… and I am, though I have no right to be," he said.

Kazuhiko hummed.. "Don't say that. I appreciate your saying it very, very much. Thank you, Louis-san. Thank you for coming today and for keeping Ryoko in line all through the ceremony. I saw her clinging to your arm the whole time."

"I was afraid if she didn't have anything to hold on to she was going to jump up and down screaming," Louis admitted.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Kazuhiko pulled back, took Louis´s chin between his fingers and pecked his lips. There were so many people milling around no one noticed. It wouldn't have mattered if they had, though, at least to the brunette.

Louis blinked, then turned his head to try to hide the pink tint on his cheeks. He failed.

The brunette´s expression turned smug. "A problem?" he whispered huskily.

"N… N… No."

"Good." And Louis received another kiss, this one deeper, sweeter.

His insides turned mushy. He felt his blush intensify and called himself an idiot. His relationship with Kazuhiko was still brand new. He shouldn't get so affected by a kiss, especially because he knew so much cuddling wouldn't last long. It was the 'shiny new toy' mood they were both in.

So…

With a hand pressed against the suit jacket, Louis gave a gentle push to break the kiss. The brunette understood right away. They stared at each other from inches away.

"Louis-san…" Kazuhiko began, but was cut off by the redhead giving him a short hug.

"I say again, congratulations, Kazuhiko-san."

"… Thank you. Um, is everything all right?"

"Of course. Everything is just fine." But for how long, Louis wouldn't dare say.

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"This is a… what did you call it? Dog sack?"

"Doggy bag."

"Huh. Interesting name. So you´re supposed to give it to your dog?"

"If you have one, I guess you could give it to them, but it´s more a saying."

Louis nodded and stared at the aluminum foil he held in his hands. It wasn't a bag. It was a swan-like jumble of foil which held inside the leftovers of Kazuhiko´s graduation dinner. "Are doggy bags always so artful?" he asked as he and the brunette walked along the path next to the lake where, long ago, his brothers had taken Chi-chan flower-spotting.

"No. It just happens that the restaurant Ryoko reserved turned out to be so very fancy they couldn't bear to give simple plastic bags." Kazuhiko frowned at the path ahead of them. "Haven´t you ever seen one before?"

"Of course I have, but I´ve always seen paper sacks, and I´ve never bothered to ask what they´re called Besides—" Louis shook the silvery swan. "—these are rather special doggy bags."

"Snobby, I´d say. Ryoko overdid herself this time, don't you think?"

The redhead shrugged. "I had a nice evening, even with my insisting I was your friend and you insisting I was much more than that."

Kazuhiko gave a devilish smile. "I wouldn't want to think you´re embarrassed we´re dating."

"I´m not," Louis replied with absolute honesty, and ducked his head. "But going around announcing to all the people around us… it´s a bit intimidating."

"Not an exhibitionist, huh?"

Louis didn't get the joking tone and shook his head as he held the swan under one arm. "Uh-uh."

Kazuhiko snorted, then and without further word grabbed Louis´s free hand and held it in his own. The redhead hesitated a step, then the two of them kept on walking.

"This isn't exhibitionism, by the way," Kazuhiko said.

Louis gave a small laugh. "I…"

"Louie-chan!"

The latter froze at the sound of his pet name. He turned… and found himself almost face to face with Hikaru.

"Hikaru-nii-san," he gasped.

Hikaru, dressed in jeans and a shirt today, grinned. "Hello, Louie-chan!"

"W… what are you…?"

"Doing here? Stupid Ukyo sent me on a stupid errand." Hikaru rolled his eyes and shook the shopping bag he was carrying. "He needs someone to put him in his place one of these days… and anyway…" emerald eyes slid to the brunette, and the wicked smile widened. "Kazuo! Hello!"

Kazuo?

"Er…" Kazuhiko glanced at Louis out of the corner of his eye, When he noticed the redhead didn't know what to say he took a deep breath, smiled and released his partner´s hand to hold it out to the _other_ redhead. "Good evening. I´m Akiyama Kazuhiko. You´re Asahina Hikaru, right? Louis-san´s fourth eldest brother. It´s a pleasure to meet you."

"Ah, Kazuo! We can finally introduce ourselves!" Hikaru shook the offered hand. "Nice to meet you too. Louie-chan´s told me a lot about you."

Kazuo again? But he´d just announced his real n… oh, never mind. "Same here. It appears you´re his favorite brother." The brunette smiled.

"Of course. And guess which otouto do I favor the most?" The elder rolled his eyes at Louis. "Louie-chan, speak, will you?"

"Hikaru-nii-san…"

"Don't sound so appalled. Come on, I knew about caramel boy right here, you just hadn't told me you´d officially become a couple."

"Well, I…"

"Not that it matters anyway since I now know." Hikaru gave Kazuhiko a wicked wink. "Took long enough to put a complete face to your name. You should have forced Louie-chan to take you to the Sunrise Residence before."

Kazuhiko looked amused. "Should I have?"

"Yeah. I wanted to meet up close the person who managed to make him blush." Hikaru looked at the brunette up and down. "You´re taller than I remember… and younger. How old are you?"

"Twenty-two."

"Oh. Got a job?"

"Part time in a car shop."

"Student?"

Louis managed to find his voice. "Hikaru-nii-san, you shouldn't be so…"

"Ironically enough, I graduated today," Kazuhiko interrupted with a humble smile.

Hikaru´s eyes widened. He ignored Louis. "What career?"

"Architecture. I´m taking two months off before going to work at…"

"Kazuhiko-san!" Louis cried, and stepped between his boyfriend and his brother. "You don't need to submit yourself to Hikaru-nii-san´s cross examination."

"Louie-chan, I´m just weighing hiM," Hikaru said. "You know, seeing if he´s worth your time or…"

"If he weren't I wouldn't be here, " the youngster said without thinking. As soon as he said it, he felt his lips curve in a small smile.

Hikaru gave him a thumbs up. "Now that's the attitude."

"It is indeed," the brunette´s voice came, half-amused, half-joyed.

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With the day pretty much over, Louis decided he´d catch a ride with Hikaru and go home. Kazuhiko wasn't too thrilled, but he´d spent a marvelous graduation day thanks to certain redhead and couldn't ask for more, so while Hikaru caught his cue and left to find the car, Louis stayed to say goodbye.

"So that was Asahina Hikaru," Kazuhiko said as he watched the elder walk away.

"Not the calmest brother, and not my first choice for you to meet," Louis mumbled with a shrug. "But I must admit I´m surprised."

"Why?"

"You didn't bore Hikaru-nii-san, and he didn't annoy you at all. In fact, he treated you much like he does me."

"Like family?" the brunette teased.

The redhead nodded. "Now we´ve only got to introduce you to eleven more brothers."

"After meeting one of the brothers you've described as most judgmental, I think I´ll be fine." Kazuhiko winked, grabbed Louis´s cheeks between his palms and gave him a series of light kisses. "Thanks for a wonderful day, Louis-san."

"Thank you for allowing me to come with you, and again, congratulations." Louis hesitated, then gave the brunette one last peck. "See you soon."

"See you."

Ten minutes later, Louis was behind the wheel of Masaomi´s car while Hikaru gaped at him.

"I know you got your driving license when you were eighteen," the elder said, "but you haven't driven since then. How come you can do it so well now?"

Louis smiled and kept his eyes on the road. "I got a refreshing course."

"… Kazuo?"

"Mm-hmm. He gave me refreshing lessons a couple months ago in his car. I don't really like to do it, but seeing how you were complaining you didn't want to drive back home through the night traffic, I thought I´d see if I still could."

"He´s very attentive, isn't he?"

Louis nodded.

"And he´s a funny person, not to mention he kept up with me without a problem. Hmm. You may not date, Louie-chan, but when you do, it´s for a reason." Hikaru frowned. "When are you going to introduce him to the family?"

"Do you think they´ll take it in stride?"

"Why not? You´re our brother and you love Kazuo. End of the story."

"I don't love him," the youngster said.

"Don't you?"

"No."

Hikaru rolled his eyes and stared out the window. "It´s only a matter of time, you´ll see, before you utter those words."

"You think?"

"I don't _think,_ Louie-chan." Hikaru gave a smug grunt. "After watching you guys today, I know. But really, take him. You´ll see he´ll be accepted from the very start."

Louis pursed his lips. "I´ll think about it," he whispered.

Hikaru had met his boyfriend and there seemed to be no problem. It was a good start.

Nevertheless… it was one down and eleven to go.

**To be continued…**


	11. Chapter 11: Early Return

Hi! Here is chapter eleven. It was really fun to write this one, you know, and it´s going to be even funnier to write the next one, so I guess the other should come with ease. Oh, here´s another time skip, by the way. :3 As always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it!

**Chapter 11: Early Return**

"The manager decided to quit?"

"Yeah."

"Why would he quit? You said the business is good all year around."

"It is, and he doesn't have to do much. I mean, the agents are the one who do all the work."

"Mmm, I guess you´re right. I didn't even know companies like yours had managers."

"It´s not _my_ company, and to tell you the truth, I didn't know either until Ryoko told me. I didn't know I had to interfere in his stupid quitting either."

Louis rolled his eyes at Kazuhiko´s sullen tone, which managed to travel better than fine through his cell phone. "So you´re leaving tomorrow for Shizuoka and spending the weekend there?" he verified as he pushed open the main door to the Sunrise Residence.

"Right. I already cancelled the tour we booked for Saturday…"

"And we have to forget about the dinner on Sunday."

"I´m afraid so."

Louis nodded to himself as he walked to the elevator. "I´ll see you… Monday, then."

Kazuhiko gave a deep sigh. "I´m sorry we won´t be able to spend this weekend together."

"It´s okay." And it would be. Since they´d become an item two and a half months ago, they spent even more time together, especially weekends, what with Louis doing everything but sleep at the brunette´s apartment. Would it be strange not to see Kazuhiko from today, Thursday, until Monday? It would, but it was bearable. Besides, they could always phone each other, or Skype, if the need arose.

"I´m truly sorry," Kazuhiko said again.

"And I´m truly okay with it," Louis said with amusement. "It´ll be strange, but it´s not the end of the world, is it?"

"… You´re so not a romantic, Louis-san."

"I´m still getting the hang of romanticism, Kazuhiko-san, don't be so harsh with me."

The brunette´s laugh came through the speaker. "Point taken. I´ll talk to you soon, Louis-san. Good night."

"Good night. Have a safe trip," the redhead murmured, hung up and entered the elevator. He pushed the button and waited until he was on the fifth floor to come out.

"Good night, everyone," he called as he stepped into the living room. There was no answer.

Louis blinked at the silence, then took another steps forward and saw most of his brothers plus Chi-chan hunched all over each other and looking at something on the table.

Curiosity taking the better of him, he inched closer and took a peek himself.

"Oh, you are all going on a trip?" he asked.

There was a collective yowl of surprise as the family became aware the eighth son was home.

"Louis! When the hell did you get here?!" Tsubaki growled, clutching his chest.

"A minute ago. Where are you going?"

"For God´s sake, stamp your feet or something next time. You nearly gave us all a heart attack," Ukyo muttered.

Louis´s lips twitched. "Where?" he asked again.

"We´re almost in October. We were thinking of going to the summer house one last time before winter finally arrives."

"To the summer house in fall?"

"Yeah! Onee-chan wants to go!" Wataru cried.

Mauve eyes flicked to the only female in the room.

The brunette girl looked ashamed. "I know it´s a dumb request but I really liked going there, and I think in fall it would be an even more beautiful experience."

"I see. Who´s going this time?"

"Everyone but Masaomi-nii-san," Ukyo answered with a pout.

"Which means he´ll have to go and bring everyone back alive because he doesn't want to leave Azusa and I in charge of all the goers," Tsubaki snickered.

"Like I could! You two are less trustworthy than…"

"Louis-san, will you come?" Ema asked.

The redhead was about to reply when Yuusuke said, "Are you, Louis-nii?" in a surprised tone.

"Um…"

"Of course he won´t. He´ll spend the weekend out with whoever he´s spent the last gazillion or so," Tsubaki said. He, along with Ema, Yuusuke and Wataru were still clueless as to where and with who Louis went out all the time. Ukyo and Azusa on the other hand had their suspicions whether he had a girlfriend or not.

Masaomi, the only one apart from Hikaru who knew he was really dating someone but wanted to give Louis the chance to tell the family himself, said, "Will you go? If you went I think Ukyo can stay. You and Azusa should be able to bring everyone back with all their limbs intact."

Louis chuckled, then thought about it. Kazuhiko wasn't going to be in town this weekend, so he was free… oh, hang on.

"I can´t. Two clients are coming in first thing Saturday morning," he said, wrinkling his nose.

"I see. Then the two of us will stay home." Masaomi smiled. "Maybe this weekend I´ll get to… um, you know… put a face to a certain someone."

"Er… I highly doubt it, Masaomi-nii-san."

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The ringing of his phone was what woke Louis up Sunday morning.

The redhead rolled over in his bed and fished his phone out from under the pillow. Without opening his eyes, he flicked it to his ear.

"Yes," he rasped out.

"Good morning."

He squeezed his eyes tighter. He tried to wake up his brain, to call up his common sense and manners, but failed miserably. "´Morning, Kaz," he managed to whisper.

Silence on the other end, then a surprised, "Does this mean I can call you Louie now?"

"Mmm… if you… want."

A deep chuckle. "How awake are you?"

"Not… much." Louis let out a soft groan and rolled over in bed again. He sighed, then opened his eyes. He stared up at the blue ceiling of his room. "What time is it?"

"Eight-thirty… and yes, I do remember how late you usually sleep on Sundays."

"Then why the early call?"

"I´m afraid I won´t be back in town tomorrow," Kazuhiko said sounding glum.

"Let me guess. Troubles with your quitting manager," Louis said, voice soft.

"Indeed. I don't know why I have to be here since I haven't done anything but listen in to meetings, but the company won´t let me leave until this whole thing is solved and… and I´ll be here at least another week here."

"I don't like how that sounds."

Kazuhiko laughed. "You don't?"

"Not the tiniest bit, but I suppose it can´t be helped." Louis sighed. "We´ll have to settle for more phone calls, huh?"

"Right. Um… phone calls aside, are you staying home today?"

"Yes."

"Not going out at all?"

"Unless Masaomi-nii-san asks me to go somewhere. It´s been nice staying home these past few days, you know… why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Just wondering." Kazuhiko cleared his throat. "Oh, looks like Ryoko and I just got paged… on a freaking Sunday. Talk to you soon, _Louie-chan_."

"Soon."

They hung up. Louis shoved his phone under the pillow and closed his eyes again, hoping he could go back to sleep. He was succeeding until he recalled one tiny little detail.

_Louie-chan. _

His eyes flew wide open. He sat up in bed, then slapped his palm over his face.

"That´s what I get for talking half-asleep," he muttered.

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What with the family having left Friday morning and coming back Sunday night, Masaomi and Louis had a tough time with their meals. Though Masaomi had learned to cook when he was a teenager and had been able to cook decent food, ever since Ukyo had taken over the kitchen, Masaomi had stopped practicing and could now simply eggs.

Louis on the other hand had never learned to cook. Though Ukyo and even Hikaru had tried to teach him, he never learned because he didn't have any interest in it. Louis too, could only cook eggs nowadays. Oh, rice as well.

So the two of them compromised. Masaomi would take care of the morning cleanup, Louis would do the afternoon chores and they would take turns ordering and paying takeout. It was the only thing they could think of doing since they didn't want to eat TV dinners.

They did well on Friday and Saturday, even with the doctor´s irregular schedule. It had been a while since Louis stayed home so much, longer since he´d spent time with the brother who was in truth the only father he knew, and he didn't regret not going with the rest to the summer house in the least.

It was a calm Sunday for them both, mostly because they took care of their own business and didn't do anything but mill around the apartments doing a chore or another or having lunch when the time came.

"How come you didn't go out with your girlfriend this weekend?" the eldest asked as he washed the dishes from lunch and Louis put the breakfast ones away.

The redhead stilled at the question, and felt his face flush. He gave a silent thanks to the fact he had his body turned away and mumbled, "My… uh, partner had to leave town this weekend."

"Oh? Why?"

"… Something about the real estate company and the manager quitting."

Masaomi sighed. "You know, Louis, I would really like to understand more about you and your lady, but I can´t if you keep everything clammed up and confuse me with what you say. What the heck does the real estate company mean? Does she work there? Does that mean that she´s older than you? How much older?"

"Um…" Louis hesitated. "Actually, it´s not a 'she' at a…"

The kitchen phone rang.

Masaomi slid his eyes to the artifact, then back to his younger brother who was still giving him his back.

"Hang in there," he said, and went to pick up. "Hello?"

Louis listened to the conversation as he finished putting the dishes away. It was Ukyo, and he was telling Masaomi about them coming home in a few hours and asking either of them to go get… something.

"Alright. Email the list to me and it´ll all be in the kitchen when you get here," Masaomi said near the end of the call, then added, "Everyone is coming back in one piece, right?"

Ukyo´s angry response was audible even to Louis, who gave a low laugh.

"Louis, can you go to the market?" Masaomi asked as soon as he hung up.

The redhead blinked, then nodded. "What do you need?"

"Ukyo said he wants a bunch of ingredients here so he can cook as soon as he gets home."

"He wants to _cook_ when he arrives?"

"You know how he is." Masaomi took out his own cell phone, flicked through his emails, found Ukyo´s and resent it to Louis. "The list should be on your phone now."

"I´ll be going, then."

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Kazuhiko wasn't sure he was driving through the right place. He knew he was on the correct neighborhood, but he was wondering if he´d made a wrong turn or if he was driving on the wrong street.

"Sunrise Residence, Sunrise Residence, where is it?" he whispered to himself as he kept on driving and looking at his surroundings every few seconds. He´d only been at the apartments once, the time he drove Louis home more than two months ago, and he didn't remember what road he´d taken. He remembered bits of the directions Louis had given him, not all of them.

Speaking of Louis… Kazuhiko wondered if the redhead would get mad when he found out Kazuhiko had lied to him about not returning to town that day.

He´d arrived around three hours ago along with his sister, the business with the real estate company taken care of and even a new manager had been hired. Why had Kazuhiko lied to the redhead? Because he wanted to drop by on a surprise visit and he wanted to make sure Louis was home, even if it meant meeting the remaining eleven brothers at the same time. That was why he´d called on the morning.

Sunrise Residence, Sunrise Residence… let´s see… he didn't remember the houses, but he did remember those signs and… oh! Liu supermarket was up front and… was that Louis?

Kazuhiko slammed on the brakes when he caught a glimpse of ashy hair coming around the corner. He blinked, then stared as he fully recognized Louis´s figure entering the market.

Without a second thought, the brunette slid his car into the store´s parking lot.

After locking the doors behind him, Kazuhiko made his way to the front door. Cold air hit him the moment he stepped inside, and he cursed the change in temperature as he walked at a slow place along the many, many aisles.

Much to his surprise, he found Louis in the meat area about five minutes later. The redhead was frowning, looking at something on his phone and then to the many packages of meat displayed on the main counter. He looked lost and annoyed.

"You just entered this place. You can´t be angry already," he said with amusement, and walked closer.

Louis´s head snapped up. His mauve eyes widened with complete and absolute surprise. "You´re supposed to be in Shizuoka," he said.

"Nope. We got a new manager yesterday night. Ryoko and I came back into town a few hours ago."

"But you said…"

"I wanted to drop by suddenly." Kazuhiko grinned, wrapped his arms around Louis and leaned in to kiss him. "Surprise," he said.

The redhead stared at him a few seconds, then rolled his eyes and relaxed in the other´s grip. "It´s nice to see you again, Kazuhiko-san."

"No, 'Kaz'?"

"I apologize. I was pretty much asleep when you called."

"I don't mind in the least, you know. If you want to call me that, you can.

"Thanks, I guess, and like I said, you can call me Louis or Louie if you like… but no Louie-chan, please."

Kazuhiko blinked. "Oh! Did I offend you on the morning? I´m sorry! I didn't want to be offensive, I…"

The redhead´s hand landed on top of his mouth. "It´s okay. I don't really like that pet name, but only Hikaru-nii-san uses it and I can´t tell him no, but with you… I think you understand."

"Of course… Louis. I´m sorry." Deciding to change the subject, caramel eyes flicked to the exposed cell phone. "What are you buying?"

The redhead shrugged. "I´m not sure. Masaomi-nii-san sent me to get this for Ukyo-nii-san to cook but I´m afraid I don't know what good and what now."

"I´ll help you."

Louis handed over the cell phone without further word. He knew the brunette cooked almost as good as Ukyo did, and had almost as much experience too, so he knew he was saved.

"I suppose your surprise visit means you want to meet my other brothers," Louis mumbled as the two of them moved down the meat counters. He watched with curiosity as Kazuhiko grabbed stuff with efficiency and nodded to the phone.

The brunette glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. "Your brothers? Um… well, at when I planned this I only thought of coming to see you since you said your family was away on a trip, but if they´re already home…"

"They´re not, but if you want to stay until they arrive…" Louis hesitated, thought about it, decided he had to face his family once and for all. He had to tell them about Kazuhiko. He had to convince himself he wasn't embarrassed about what he was doing. "You´re more than welcome to stay at the apartments until they come back, Until they do, I´ll introduced you to my father."

"Masaomi-san?" Kazuhiko guessed, now more than familiar with the upmost respect and admiration Louis had for his eldest brother.

The redhead gave a dazzling smile. "Of course. Who else?" he replied innocently.

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"Are you sure you want to leave your car here?""

"Yes."

"You can leave it in our garage if you want. We have space."

Kazuhiko shook his head with amusement as he and Louis pulled the groceries bag out of the sedan´s trunk. "I´m sure it´ll be fine here," he said, and glanced around the empty street space in front of the apartments.

Louis sighed and closed the sedan´s trunk. "If you insist."

Both men began their walk towards the inside of the apartments. Louis´s steps were jerky. His lips had formed a thin line.

"Do you honestly want me to meet your family?" Kazuhiko asked after a few steps.

"Yes." Louis wasn't lying.

"Then why so nervous?"

"… I don't know." The redhead shook his head. "But I promise it´s not because I´m embarrassed by you."

"What is it, then?"

"I think… I think I´m nervous because you´re the first romantic interest I´ve ever had… therefore I´ve never brought anyone home for them to meet. The fact that we´re both men complicates things a bit, but the main reason for the nerves is… I don't know how to do this, how to involve them."

Kazuhiko stopped walking and turned to face Louis. The latter did the same.

"Everything will be fine," the brunette assured, balanced his bags with one arm and placed a gentle hand on Louis´s shoulder. "I´ll make a good impression, I promise." He smiled.

The redhead returned the smile, then shook his head. "Tease," he muttered, and because he needed more than verbal comfort, he kissed Kazuhiko this time.

Their lips met. Louis moved closer, and Wataru´s voice rang out.

"Masa-nii! Louie-tan! We´re back! Hello! We´re… !" There was a gasp.

And then the surprised cry of, "Oh, look! Louie-tan is kissing a _boy_!"

**To be continued…**


	12. Chapter 12: Welcome to the family! (For

Hi! Here is chapter twelve and this time I only want to say one thing: the difficulties for these two start here… sort of. :D Thanks so much for sticking with the story this far. I hope you enjoy what comes next! As always, thanks for taking the time to read this. ^^

**Chapter 12: Welcome to the family! (For now)**

Louis froze. Kazuhiko froze. They stared at each other from inches away with horror. Soon after, they turned their heads slowly, the perfect cliché of any horror movie.

Wataru stood seven feet away from them, his mouth opened in a little "oh", his eyes shining with both curiosity and surprise. Behind him stood Ukyo and the twins. They, too, were gaping.

A pregnant silence reigned over all the men. The shock of seeing each other was so much no one spoke for a whole minute.

The silence would have kept on going if Masaomi hadn't come out of the building.

"Welcome back all of you!" the eldest greeted with a smile. He trotted down the entrance stairs… and stopped cold when he saw Kazuhiko and Louis.

"Oh, Louis. Who is your friend?" he asked.

Silence for a couple of seconds, then Tsubaki purred, "Oh, Masa-nii, I don't think this guy is Louis´s friend."

Masaomi blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Louie-tan was kissing the other boy," Wataru informed.

"… Huh?"

"They were kissing like Mama and Rintaro-san at the wedding, remember? On the lips."

Masaomi looked utterly confused. Tsubaki and Wataru looked amused. Ukyo and Azusa looked incredulous.

"Louis," the eldest said, eyes fixed on the redhead, who gulped and looked at Kazuhiko.

"Kazuhiko-san?" he whispered.

The brunette gave a small laugh. "I thought we were going to drop the 'san', Louis," he answered.

For some unknown reason, those words gave Louis enough confidence to say, "Right… so I guess it´s time to introduce all of you. Um…" he cleared his throat.

"Kazuhiko-sa… er, Kazuhiko, I´d like you to meet my older brothers: Masaomi, Ukyo, Tsubaki, Azusa… and this is our youngest brother: Wataru." He pointed to each of them with his free hand, then looked at his family.

"Um, everybody, I´d like you to meet Akiyama Kazuhiko… my… my boyfriend."

**.**

**.**

**.**

"Are you serious?" Ukyo uttered. "He´s your _boyfriend_? As in you have a _romantic relationship_ with him?"

Louis, now calmer than ever, nodded. "Yes, Ukyo-nii-san."

"For real."

"Mmm-hmm."

"… Are you on drugs or something?"

Kazuhiko gave a slight snort, and Ukyo´s cold eyes fell upon him.

"Are you really…?" the blonde began.

"Louis´s boyfriend? Yes, Ukyo-san, I am." The brunette smiled and gave a low bow. "And I assure you, he is not on drugs. Neither am I."

"So the kiss we saw when we arrived…"

"It was real," Louis said, and he looked embarrassed. "I apologize for the romantic display, though, and these sudden introductions. It wasn't the way I planned to tell you about him."

"And you´re so calm about it?"

"Why wouldn't I be? I understand this must be a huge surprise to you all but I´m not ashamed of my relationship. I would also like to point out to you that I´m not gay even though I´m dating a man, but the comment would only complicate things." Where did the sudden calm and strength come from, Louis had no freaking idea, but he welcomed it with absolute relief and gratefulness.

Tsubaki finally spoke, or rather laughed.

Ukyo watched in amazement as the white-haired twin doubled over with laughter for a good whole minute before straightening and walking forward with a huge smile on his face.

"Calling this revelation a surprise is like saying the Titanic was just a boat incident," he said, "but what the hell. I admire the guts you and caramel boy here have to be so open and calm about it. So I got a homosexual otouto. It´s nice to finally see one of you youngsters is not just another one of the bunch."

Tsubaki slapped Louis on the shoulder, then turned to Kazuhiko and held out his hand.

"Asahina Tsubaki, caramel boy."

The brunette –looking shocked out of his mind– shook the offered hand. "Akiyama Kazuhiko. Nice to meet you."

Tsubaki took his hand back, snickered, then burst out laughing again.

"You do know I´m going to give you hell from now on, don't you?" he said to Louis between chuckles.

The redhead blinked in amazement. "You aren't mad?"

"Of course not. This is the funniest thing that's happened in the past year or so. You finally decide to date and it turns out to be a guy. It´s hilarious. Besides, so what if you are? It´s your life, Louis."

"Um…"

"Tsubaki is right," Azusa said, and stepped forward as well. "This_ is_ a surprise, the biggest we´ve had since we learned our mother was getting married. Personally and if you´re serious, it´s going to take me some time to absorb the whole concept of you dating a man, but it´s okay. You may be… different, but you´re still our brother and you´re not a kid. If it´s him you like… then we´ll all deal with it." Azusa held out his hand. "Asahina Azusa."

The brunette´s shock intensified even more. "Nice to meet you too."

The twin smiled. "Now it makes a lot more sense what Hikaru-nii-san said about someone being the seme," he said.

"… Excuse me?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

As soon as Azusa was out of the way, Wataru bounced forward. It didn't dawn into any of them until then that a child had been hearing a very weird, very touchy conversation.

"Wataru-kun…" Louis began, but the boy cut him off.

"Nice to meet you, Kazu-nii! Welcome to the family!"

Everyone´s mouths dropped to the floor.

"K-Kazu… _nii_?" Kazuhiko gasped.

Wataru gave a dopey smile. "Mm-hmm. You´re Louie-tan´s boyfriend. He´s my brother, so now you´re family too."

Louis and the brunette exchanged glances.

"Wataru-kun, you do understand the type of relationship he and I have, right?" the redhead asked.

Wataru rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. I´m not a baby, Louie-tan." He gave both Louis and Kazuhiko a look that said clearly he did understand what they were to each other.

"Geez. Kids nowadays grow fast," the brunette muttered.

"Thank God," Louis pointed out.

"… Yeah, thank God."

Wataru, oblivious to the last comments, held out his hand in a very grown-up manner. "Asahina Wataru."

Kazuhiko smiled, then shook it. "Wataru-_san_," he said.

The kid beamed.

Mauve and caramel eyes flicked to Ukyo, who merely gritted his teeth.

"You've got to be kidding me," he growled, glared at the men and then stomped past them and into the apartments.

Again, silence took over, at least until Louis remembered one of his brothers hadn't said a word yet.

In slow motion, he turned to face Masaomi, who still stood on the steps, his expression unreadable.

Though Louis was happy most of his brothers so far had shown approval of Kazuhiko, Masaomi was the one who mattered most to Louis. Masaomi was much more than a brother to him, and he would never get tired of pointing it out.

"Masaomi-nii-san," he said.

The eldest regarded him with serious eyes. "I would like to talk to you and Akiyama-san in the living room, Louis. Alone."

Louis felt like a bucket of ice had just been dropped down his back.

"Yes, Masaomi-nii-san," he whispered.

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The twins ended up carrying the grocery bags upstairs while Kazuhiko, Louis and Masaomi stayed on the first floor´s living room. Though the other Asahinas had the intention of staying, a look from the eldest had them all fleeing to the elevator.

"Okay, first of all," Masaomi said as soon as they had sat down. "I want to know you are not playing with the family, Louis. I want to know if you and Akiyama-san are in truth a couple."

"I don't know how I can prove it," the redhead said.

"I do. I just need an answer. Is he the one you've been spending the last months with and the reason you´re never home anymore?"

Louis opened his mouth to answer, but the blood rushing to his cheeks spoke first both to his brother and to Kazuhiko, who let out chuckle.

"That would be a yes," Masaomi declared. "So yes, you´re dating Akiyama-san. Now, second, I don't think announcing it in front of Wataru was the best idea. I believe you both agree?"

"Of course it wasn't. He is still a child," the brunette said.

"I´m sorry Masaomi-nii-san. The plan was for you to meet Kazuhiko first, and from then on we would proceed with the others, but it turned out backwards," Louis added.

"And why me first?"

The redhead wrinkled his nose. Kazuhiko cleared his throat, then said, "Louis has told me about Miwa-san´s adopting him when he was only two, how he grew up only with his eldest brothers as parental figures since Miwa-san was never home. He has also told me how you´re the only father he knows. You´re the brother he most respects and whose opinion matters the most." He looked at Masaomi. "Therefore and not to have the Asahina family hate me, we thought you should be the first one to know. It´s a little too late for that, but there´s still a slight chance to make this right."

Kazuhiko rose, then bowed in Masaomi´s direction. "My name is Akiyama Kazuhiko, and I´m Louis´s partner. It´s a pleasure to meet you, and I sincerely hope you don't think less of him for who he´s dating. He´s your brother, and you´re the figure he most admires." He rose from the bow.

Masaomi arched an eyebrow at the determination and intensity in the caramel eyes in front of him, then a slow smile spread across his lips.

"You must have a gift, Akiyama-san, to have won so many of us over in so little time," he said, then stood and held out his own hand. His smile widened. "As Wataru said, welcome to the family."

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"Four out five. I admit I´m impressed."

"I said I was going to make a good impression, didn't I?"

"I didn't count on you being so charming."

Kazuhiko gave Louis a look. "I wasn't being charming. I only spoke the truth the best way I could."

"You have an honest and unconscious charm, then," the redhead conceded, and gave a lopsided smile. "Plus, I didn't count on them being so accepting about it. I guess I do need to trust my family more." He gave a deep sigh.

"And you´re so calm because Masaomi-san seems to approve with us, aren't you?"

"Yes." Masaomi´s acceptation made Louis feel as if a weight had been lifted off his back. He felt so relieved he didn't much care for Ukyo´s anger and clear rejection. In truth, if even his uptight brother had taken it in stride Louis would have thought he was dreaming. This way, it all felt more real.

"Are you sure you don't want me to go help out in the kitchen? We did bring a lot of ingredients to make dinner, after all," Kazuhiko said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Y you heard Masaomi-nii-san. Since it´s your first time in the apartments, he wants me to show you the whole place."

At those words, Kazuhiko glanced down at the hand Louis had been holding ever since Masaomi sent them off on their tour of the Sunrise Residence. More confident than ever, Louis had taken his hand and hadn't released it for the two floors they´d already scouted. Did Kazuhiko mind? Not in the least.

"Up we go," Louis murmured as they went back to the elevator.

"Louis?"

"Mmm."

"You said Yuusuke-san has his room in this floor."

"He does."

"I thought you said he went along with the others to the summer house. He wasn't downstairs though, was he?"

Now that Louis thought about it…

"He and Chi-chan didn't come back with the rest." He frowned. "I wonder where they are."

The elevator stopped on the third floor. The doors opened. Louis pulled Kazuhiko out.

"Third floor. Subaru-kun´s and Iori-kun´s rooms are here and vacant. I´ll show you those first before showing you mine, alright?"

"Sure."

Five minutes later, Louis finally released the brunette´s hand as they both stepped into his room and he closed the door behind him.

"Welcome to my little corner," he said.

Kazuhiko looked around.

The room was much bigger than his own, and it was all done in blue tones, which gave it an overall cool appearance. Thick curtains were drawn aside the almost wall-to-wall window, which was opposite the queen-sized bed. The room also had a built-in closet, a desk and chair, and a library almost full of books. It was almost impeccable, only a few jackets thrown over the bed and a laptop and pens scattered across the desk.

"Very you," the brunette declared after a moment.

Louis arched an eyebrow and made a gesture with his hand. "Very me?"

Kazuhiko understood and went to sit on the bed. "Yes. Almost but not quite tidy; calm and collected but at the same time comforting," he explained.

The redhead chuckled and laid down on the mattress. "Now that I think about it, I´ve been in your room quite a few times, but I can´t remember anything about it," he murmured.

Kazuhiko laughed. "Why am I not surprised?"

"I´ll have to take a closer look soon."

"Any time you want." The brunette reached down to trace his fingertips over Louis´s cheek. He traced the other´s cheekbone, then the area around the mauve eyes.

"You look so relaxed," he whispered, his palm sliding along the pale skin as well.

"I _am_ relaxed," Louis assured him, and turned his face deeper into the caress. He closed his eyes, gave a soft groan.

"Damn." Unable to resist anymore, Kazuhiko drew his hand back before leaning over the redhead. He pressed their mouths together and pushed gently until Louis´s parted under his own.

Their first proper kiss in days, their breaths collided immediately. Their lips slid across one another. Their tongues entwined in a sweet and slow game. Louis wound his long fingers on the brown hair at Kazuhiko´s nape to deepen the kiss even more.

They separated when Louis gasped for air and stared at each other from inches away.

"It´s nice to…" he began, but the chirping noises out of his room drew his attention.

Recognizing them right away, Louis got up from the bed and went to open the door.

"Juli-san," he greeted.

"Louis!" the squirrel squeaked. "Louis, Louis! What is going on?

"What is going on with what?"

"With you. I come from the kitchen and everyone was telling Yuusuke something about you going out with a boy and him being here and that you weren't joking… what´s going on?"

"Oh, Yuusuke-kun and Chi-chan are back. Where were they?"

"I´m not talking about Chi right now, I´m talking about you! Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes. He´s in…"

Juli barreled inside. He was growling, and the growling intensified when he saw Kazuhiko.

"Who is he? What´s his name? Where did he come from?" the squirrel demanded as he jumped onto the brunette´s lap and began sniffing him all over. Much to Louis´s surprise, he didn't commit any violence.

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow at the fluff ball. "Juli," he said.

"Mm-hmm. Kazuhiko, this is Chi-chan´s pet. Juli-san, this is Akiyama Kazuhiko, my boyfriend."

Juli growled again. He kept on sniffing. The brunette rolled his eyes.

"I don't stink, you know," he told the squirrel.

"Hush!" Juli cried, even though he was sure this man couldn't understand him. He considered the human with big button eyes.

"He seems decent, at least not the same type of animal your brothers are, Louis," he announced, bit Kazuhiko´s palm and ran out of the room.

The brunette winced and looked at the wound. "He doesn't have rabies, does he?" he asked.

"I don't think so. None of my brothers have suffered anything but pain when he attacks." Louis smiled. "Quite active, our Juli-san."

"I´d say. Does him showing up mean your sister is back?"

"From what he said… er, yes, she´s back. It´s time for you to charm some more people."

"Great!"

They came out of the room and made their way down the hall. Before reaching the end Kazuhiko said, "Um, Louis, before we go with the rest… can I use your bathroom?"

At the hesitant tone, Louis rolled his eyes. "Third door on the left," he said, and pushed the elevator button. "I´ll go on ahead to speak with Yuusuke-kun."

"I´ll see you shortly on the fifth floor, then."

Kazuhiko came out of the bathroom two minutes later drying his hands on his pants. He hummed under his breath as he walked down the hall again and pushed the button. He waited until the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Oranges rolled out into the hall. He blinked, took a peek inside and his arms shot forward out of instinct to catch a fruits basket in one arm and a thin body in the other.

Brown eyes much darker than his own met his gaze with surprise.

He blinked, took in the feminine figure and helped steady her.

"Is someone making a salad?" he asked, a friendly smile on his lips.

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Ema stared at the man in front of her. The man who´d kept her from squishing the grapes she´d bought and the one who kept her from hurting herself when she stumbled at the weight of all she was carrying.

With curiosity, she took in his light brown hair, his big and warm eyes, his sharp and handsome features, his tall and lean body… he was almost as good-looking as Subaru-san.

Wait a moment… Subaru?! She couldn't think of him as handsome! They were siblings, _siblings_! She couldn't think her family was attractive. It wasn't right. It just wasn't.

This man on the other hand…

Who was he, though? She was sure she´d never seen him before.

"Um," she stuttered, and felt her cheeks burn up in a second. She avoided his gaze and bit her lip. "It´s not-it´s not a salad. Ukyo-san only… left me and Yuusuke-kun at the supermarket to get… fruit but he, er, got on ahead and I…" Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, keeping her from saying anything else.

"I see," the handsome brunette said, then began picking up the oranges.

She stared at him some more.

"Um, excuse me. Are you… another brother?" she asked timidly.

He blinked. "Another brother? You mean like one Miwa-san forgot to mention because I've lived out of the country all my life or something along those lines?"

"M… Maybe. I-I don't know."

The brunette gave a laugh and shook his head. "As interesting as it sounds, no, I´m not an Asahina. My name is…"

The elevator doors opened. Ema jumped, then whirled.

Louis stepped out with Juli riding on his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw the girl. "Chi-chan, here you are. Welcome back."

"T-Thanks, Louis-san."

He glanced at the brunette and smiled. "So you've met already?"

"Kind of. If talking of being a possible estranged brother over oranges is meeting somebody, then yeah, we´ve met." Kazuhiko grinned right back.

"You´re such a tease, honestly."

Ema looked from one to the other.

"Louis-san? Is he your friend?" she asked.

"Not quite. Kazuhiko, this is my stepsister and the only girl in the family, Hinata Ema. Chi-chan, this is Akiyama Kazuhiko."

"His boyfriend," the brunette clarified.

"… Boyfriend?"

"Yes."

She looked overwhelmed. Juli said, "Don't faint like Yuusuke did, Chi. You should have seen him. When Louis and I got to the kitchen Tsubaki and Azusa were telling him about this man over here, then Louis stepped in and confirmed it. Yuusuke fainted on the spot. It was funny."

"Juli-san," Louis admonished.

"It was."

Ema blinked a couple of times, then looked at Kazuhiko. "No estranged brother," she whispered.

"Afraid not, Ema-san." He gave another smile, one that made her blush again.

"See? I say again, you´re charming."

"And I say again, I´m only being honest."

Louis laughed, then his expression sobered. He walked closer to the brunette with the squirrel keeping his sharp gaze on both men.

"Um, I´m afraid Ukyo-nii-san isn't happy at all," he confessed, "and he told Masaomi-nii-san he won´t make dinner, so I was wondering –since you´re pretty much the only left with cooking skills– if you could…"

"Help out with dinner? Gladly! Only if you assist me, though."

"I´m a disaster in the kitchen."

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow.

Louis did the same, then sighed. "Fine, but remember I warned you."

"I´ll try. Let´s get Ema-san and the fruits upstairs."

Louis turned to the girl and held out his hands. "We´ll take care of it, Chi."

Feeling numb, she handed over the fruits she still carried and watched as the two of them got into the elevator while Juli jumped onto her shoulder.

"They… they _are _a couple," she whispered.

Juli nodded. "Yes, Chi, I´m beginning to believe they are, which is why I´m going to tell you this: look away."

"Huh?"

The squirrel sighed. "Don't look at that man again the way you were a minute ago, Chi. If you do, it´ll be trouble for everyone in this family."

"But I was simply…"

"Trust me, Chi, _don't_!"

**To be continued…**


	13. Chapter 13: Fright Night

So... just one thing to say... the tittle has pretty much nothing to do with the chater. XD I just couldn´t find a better one. :D Anyways and as always, I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 13: Fright Night**

"You lied to me."

"No we didn't."

"Yes you did. You said you were going to get me a costume. This is_ not_ a costume. I bet you didn't even rent it. You just pulled it out of Kaname-nii-san´s room, didn't you?"

Tsubaki and Azusa glanced at each other, then back at Louis, who looked uncomfortable as ever.

"You look good," Azusa said.

"Azusa-nii-san," the redhead protested.

Tsubaki snorted. "Okay, yeah, we pulled it out of Kana-nii´s room, but it is a costume nonetheless, you know."

Louis frowned and stared at himself in the mirror in Subaru´s room, the only room in the third floor that had a full-length one.

"I am going to change out of this thing," he announced, but the twins´ hands on his shoulders stopped him.

"Come on, Louis, you look good," Azusa insisted.

"It´s not a matter of looking good. It´s a matter of comfort."

"Isn´t the skirt or kilt or whatever it is comfortable?"

"… I´m going to change out of this."

Louis took a step forward. Again, the twins stopped him. Louis frowned harder at his reflection.

How could he wearing one of Kaname´s old robes? How on Earth had he agreed to even try it on? Geez, he must have been out of his mind.

The outfit consisted of three robes, all done in blue tones with only the upper robe sporting a small intricate pattern. With one of his shoulders bare and the robe not covering his entire legs, Louis felt like he was dressed in a pillowcase. A very loose pillowcase.

"Blue is your favorite color, isn't it?"

He turned to see Kazuhiko entering the room, also uncomfortable in the changshan qipao the twins had somehow managed to rent for him.

"It isn't, It so happens I´m always using it," the redhead replied, then arched an eyebrow. "And what about you? Your qipao is also blue."

"Because he´s cosplaying," Azusa said.

"He is?"

"Yeah," Tsubaki said, "the outfit is from an anime our company worked with about… geez, like eight years ago but as soon as we saw it we thought it was adequate for caramel boy to wear it. All he needs now is a blue and a red contact for his eyes."

"Which we have here," the black-haired one said, and went to hand over a little case to Kazuhiko, who took it with a sigh.

"You´re not making only the two of us dress up, are you?" Louis asked.

"Of course not. Wataru, Yuusuke, Masa-nii and imouto-san are getting ready right now," Azusa said.

"And we will too. Let´s go, Azusa, and leave these two to get familiarized with their outfits."

One minute later, Kazuhiko and Louis were alone in the room. The latter took in the sleeveless blue qipao with white lining, the black pants under the qipao and the black gloves the brunette wore.

"Who are you cosplaying as?" he asked.

"They didn't tell me. They kept saying, 'Gou', though."

"Hmm. How are you holding up with this house´s craziness?"

"Pretty good. This has been amusing so far."

Louis gave a laugh and shook his head.

Another thing he still couldn't believe was the fact both he and the brunette got dragged into the Asahina tradition Wataru started when he was five. Ever since then, every Halloween night he´d want to dress up and go trick or treating… and forced everyone to go with him. Though Halloween was in the most part a western event, in the past years it had grown in Tokyo… a lot.

Therefore all the Asahinas that stayed in the house were forced to dress up and go with him, not to ask for candy but wherever he went. The flower-spotting park, mainly, was one of the best places to ask for candy.

This year, Wataru had insisted Kazuhiko join them. Apart from Ukyo, who didn't approve nor did he like Kazuhiko after almost a month since he´d been introduced to the family, no one had a problem with it other than saying the brunette had to dress up as well. Tsubaki had offered to get a costume for him and one for Louis too.

That's how they ended up a monk and a man in a qipao.

Louis gave himself one last flat look on the mirror, then muttered a slight curse and turned away.

"I´m changing," he announced.

Kazuhiko stopped fiddling with the colored contacts he´d been given. "Huh? Why?"

"I look like a pillowcase."

The brunette blinked, smiled, felt his eyes soften.

The combination of light and dark blues made Louis´s pale skin glow and they weren't loose since they showed off his slim body to perfection. With his hair unbound and the robe covering only one shoulder…

"A pillowcase? Hardly," Kazuhiko mumbled with what could be called love. He stepped up behind the redhead and hugged him around the waist

Louis, oblivious to the tone and amused at the gesture, snorted. "Pillowcase," he repeated. "But you on the other hand look great."

"Like 'Gou', huh? Whoever he is." The brunette nestled his chin on Louis´s bare shoulder… then jerked his head up again.

Mauve eyes flicked to study his face. "Kazuhiko?W

He gave an embarrassed laugh and hugged Louis tighter. "Uh… I believe this is the first time I´ve… er, seen so much of your skin," he confessed, referring to the bare arms and to all the upper chest he could see.

The redhead glanced down at himself. "So?"

"I don't know. It´s interesting." Kazuhiko kissed his cheek. Out of sheer curiosity he inhaled over the pale neck, rubbed his cheek against Louis´s shoulder, which made the latter chuckle.

"Tease."

"You just love calling me that, don't you?"

"You´re always…"

"Louis-san! Are you… oh!"

Louis disentangled himself from the brunette´s grip as fast as he could and turned to the door as soon as he heard the voice. Kazuhiko complied –with reluctance– out of respect for the one who´d spoken.

"Ah, Chi-chan, that´s a beautiful costume," Louis said, taking in her short dress, apron and bright red shoes. "Who are you?"

"Um… Wataru-chan insisted on a theme so… he chose a western movie. The Wizard of Oz." She beamed, then cowered and fidgeted with her apron when Kazuhiko looked at her.

"I´m supposed to be Dorothy," she whispered.

"I see. As always, you look perfect."

"Thank you."

"You look cute, Ema-san," Kazuhiko added with politeness, his eyes skating back to the redhead immediately.

She flushed, went speechless, stared at him for a minute before saying, "Are you both ready to leave?"

Louis´s lips thinned. The brunette smiled. "We are," he said, took the other´s hand and pulled him out of the room.

"I´m not happy about going out wearing a pillowcase, you know."

"It´s not a pillowcase, Louis." Eyes shining with honest and absolute attraction Kazuhiko added, "It looks perfect, alright? Perfect."

The difference between the two compliments he´d given in the last minute was huge… and obvious, at least to one person on the room.

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Louis rubbed his arms, exhaled, dug his teeth into his lower lip and kept walking through the park among all the kids and adults. Even though it sounded incredible, everyone was dressed up to some point or another. Moreover, most of the adults presents wore full costumes.

After a few more seconds of walking and looking at different costumes he gave an almost imperceptible groan, then rubbed his arms again.

"Louis-san," Ema said sounding worried. "Are you okay?"

He shrugged. "I´m cold."

"Oh." She gave an embarrassed smile. "So am I."

"These costumes may look fancy but they´re not very warm, are they? "

"No." She giggled, the looked around. "Um… where were we supposed to meet the rest?"

As soon as they gotten to the park, they´d decided to split up in various groups according to what they wanted to do. Almost for default, Masaomi in his scarecrow costume ended up with Wataru -who was dressed as Toto the dog- , but before any other decision could be taken, the kid announced he wanted Kazuhiko to go with him.

Needless to say, no discussion had been allowed, so the three of them had set off.

Yuusuke, who´d ended up in a samurai costume courtesy of the military-dressed twins, said he wanted to go with them. Since Louis wasn't too keen about doing anything but maybe talk a walk around the park and look at other people, he decided to go by himself… until Ema said she´d go with him.

And there they were, almost two hours later, having toured the park and going back to meet the others.

It had been fun. They hadn't talked to each other about mundane stuff in a very long time. Months, really, and after exhausting the Juli topic they walked in silence until Ema venture to say, "Um, Louis-san?"

"Hmm?"

"How long have you and Kazuhiko-san been going out?"

Officially? "Almost four months," he said, then added, "I think," with a soft smile.

"And he´s the first person you've ever dated?"

"Yes."

She bit her lip, felt her cheeks flame up. "How… how is it?" she whispered.

Louis arched an eyebrow. "Are you asking me about my love life?" he said.

"Well, I…"

"You´re shivering." Kazuhiko´s voice made them both jump. Ema because she was surprised to see him. Louis because he could feel the brunette at his back.

"I am," the redhead agreed with ease.

"Don't you want a sweater or something?"

"No. All I want is to get out of this pillowcase, but since that's not going to happen…" Louis turned and stared into Kazuhiko´s eyes. When he saw one blue and red orb instead of the caramel brown ones he was used to, he shook his head.

"The costume suits you," he announced, "but heterochromia doesn't."

"Oh?"

"No. Or maybe it´s just me." He gave a slight smirk. "Chi-chan, what do you say? Does the blue and red look suit him?"

Kazuhiko rolled his eyes but stared at Ema, who gaped back and didn't look at his eyes but at all of him.

"Um…" she started, but before she could say anything Wataru in his dog costume sidled up with Masaomi and another person right behind him.

"Onee-chan!" he cried, "Masa-nii and Kazu-nii got lots of candy for me. Look!" He held out his bag.

She tried to smile. "Oh, Wataru-chan, that´s…"

"And now you´re coming with me to get more!" Again, no arguments were allowed, and the girl found herself dragged away by Wataru.

Masaomi chuckled, and the sound was echoed by another one, this one deeper. It was a sound Louis hadn't heard in over eight months.

He blinked at Masaomi, stared at the smiling blonde next to him, then said, "Kaname-nii-san!"

"Hell-o, Louis," Kaname said, his smile widening. He waved a hand in greeting.

"When did you get here?"

"Wataru and I found him ambling around the park. He says he was going to the house but go distracted by the many costumes he saw," Masaomi said.

"Oh. Welcome home."

"It´s nice to be back, and it´s funny to find you wearing my robes as a costume."

Louis looked at himself, then at the jeans and t-shirt Kaname was wearing.

"How come you´re not wearing your own robes?" he asked.

"Those clothes are typical for me. I thought I´d dress up for Halloween, and believe it or not, this is dress-up clothing to me. Anyways, the robes suit you. You´d make a good monk, I always thought so." His green eyes slid to Kazuhiko, and he grinned. "Of course, I don't think you can become one anymore, what with Kazuo here and all."

The brunette looked surprised.

The blonde laughed. "Kazuo´s your name, right? At least that's what Hikaru told me a few weeks ago when we found each other in a village near my main temple. He was really excited about telling me about Louis´s new boyfriend and what an amusing guy he was."

Louis and Kazuhiko glanced at each other, smiled, then the latter gave a bow.

"I´m Akiyama Kazuhiko as it turns out, but if you want to call me Kazuo it´s fine," he said with amusement, then added, "It´s a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-san, I gather."

"Indeed. Nice to meet you too, Kazuo. So you and Louis are in fact a couple, eh?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. Kind of unexpected but interesting nonetheless."

Louis eyed him. "You don't… have a problem with it, do you, Kaname-nii-san?" he asked cautiously.

Kaname´s cheek lifted. "Like I said, I didn't expect these news, and it´s a little bit of a shock to my system, but Buddhism has no problem with homosexual lovers unless it´s done as one-nights stands or dumb little flings."

Kazuhiko and Louis paled. The thought, 'We´re not talking about sex' seemed to stand out like a light bulb above both their heads.

The blonde chuckled. "I know you weren't talking about sex, Louis. Heck, I _know_ you haven´t had sex. If you had, you wouldn't look so embarrassed about what I said."

"Oh, speaking about sex," Masaomi interrupted, trying not to chuckle at how mortified Louis looked. "I was going to talk to you both about that, I just hadn't found the right moment."

"And this is the moment?" the redhead whispered.

"Well, no, but since Kaname brought it up…" The eldest shrugged.

"Um, I don't think Louis and I need a sex talk," Kazuhiko put in, his face as red as a tomato.

"Of course you don't. You´re both grown men, but I needed to give you some advice not as a brother but as a doctor." Masaomi turned solemn. "First of all, if your relationship is going to be very long-term then sex will happen eventually. Therefore I would advise you both to get some blood tests done, check for AIDS, tuberculosis, any STD… just in case. And of course, I´ll say abstinence is the better solution but if you can´t help it then you should use…"

"Um, Masa-nii," Kaname interrupted.

"What?"

"They´re both so red they´ll probably faint here on the spot if you say 'condom'. I think it´s enough. You understand what he means, don't you, boys?" Amused live eyes flickered to Louis and Kazuhiko, who had to clear his throat three times before rasping out, "I… er, understand."

Masaomi nodded and looked at Louis. "You?"

The latter began sputtering. "Masaomi-nii-san… I… we… don't… I mean… sex isn't…"

"Sex? Are you talking about something Wataru-chan shouldn't hear?" Ema asked with mild horror as she reappeared.

"No," Louis and Kazuhiko said immediately.

Kaname burst out laughing. "You guys are so cute, you know that?" He grinned at Ema. "Imouto-chan! It´s great to see you again!" He went over to give her a bear hug.

"Ah. Kaname-san. Hello," she gasped between the hug, then looked at someone for help. Louis avoided her gaze. Kazuhiko did the same after a few seconds.

And then it clicked.

"Oh… _sex_," she whispered. She wrinkled her nose. Why did the idea sound more terrible than it should?

**To be continued…**


	14. Chapter 14: Couch Talk

Hello! ^^ I´m sorry I didn't update last week. Seminar and Physics took over all my time and I couldn't write squat. :'( However, I did manage to get some free time this week and here is chapter fourteen. Fluffy as ever, but I hope you enjoy it. As always, thanks so much for reading!

**Chapter 14:** **Couch Talk**

Kazuhiko poked the piece of cake he had in front with his fork various times. He studied the damp texture, the dark color. He gave a thoughtful hum.

"This looks kind of edible," he declared, only to have a balled-up napkin thrown at him.

"Ha, ha. You´re so funny, Kaz," Ryoko muttered.

"I can´t believe you made a cake. You haven´t baked in eight years, maybe more, and even before you weren't very good at it."

"Gee, thanks."

Kazuhiko shrugged. "Just stating the truth. I´ll give this one a chance anyway." He cut a piece of cake, stabbed it with his fork and popped it into his mouth.

"So, nee-san," he said as he chewed. "Why did you invite me over to your house today? What do you need?"

"Can´t I invite my cute little brother over for a piece of cake?"

"If you´d bought the cake then yes, you could, but since you put in the effort to make the cake… let´s say I know you. So, what is it?"

Ryoko tried to look innocent. When she realized her brother wasn't going to fall for it she sighed. "Alright. I need a favor," she gave in.

"Figures. What can I do for you?"

"Remember the sofa I had at my apartment? The one I bought like a month before I married Isao?"

"Of course."

"I need you to keep it."

"I thought you´d sold it along with the apartment."

"I couldn't. The thing cost fortune, and I love it, but Isao isn't too fond of it and we don't have enough space here to stash it in any room. I thought you could keep it in your room or the guest´s, maybe even replace your current sofa with mine. You have space, right?"

Kazuhiko ate another piece of cake as he thought.

"I may be able to shove the one I have into the guest room and take yours as mine," he offered after a minute of silence.

"Great! Do it."

"You don't mind at all?"

"If you keep it I know it´s in good hands. Like I said, the sofa cost _a lot_ and I´d hate to sell it to a stranger."

"And you really don't have space here in your house?"

"Without both Isao´s and my stuff everywhere, no. We already tried to find a space for it, you know. It was impossible."

"I´ll keep it then."

"Thanks. I´ll send it to your house tomorrow afternoon."

He nodded.

Ryoko eyed him. "Sofa business aside… how´s Louis-san?"

"Working, lovable and Louis-ish as always."

She laughed. "Lovable?"

"Yep."

She considered Kazuhiko´s sudden soft expression with amused eyes. "You… are… hooked," she declared, stretching out each word as long as she could.

"I know," the youngster replied with a smile.

"I´ve never seen you so comfortable about a relationship before. You´ve been a couple what, five months?"

The male brunette nodded. "Almost. I think it has a lot to do with the fact we went out as friends first."

"Hmm. You should also throw in the fact both families have been rather accepting of each other," she mused.

"Ukyo-san still disapproves, and Yuusuke-kun doesn't talk much to me, but you´re right. The family support helped a lot as well." Kazuhiko finished off his piece of cake, then nodded. "The best cake you´ve ever made, nee-san."

"Was it good?"

"I said it´s the best one you´ve made, not that it tasted good."

Ryoko frowned… then grabbed the plate and threw the crumbs at Kazuhiko´s face.

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Though it was the beginning of November, it had already snowed two times. They hadn't been super heavy snowstorms, but they were storm´s nonetheless. Today, it appeared another snow attack would hit town.

"Global warming," Louis whispered to himself as he stared out the salon´s window. He studied the darkened sky, the gray color it had.

"Asahina-kun."

"Fukui-san," he replied, then walked over to his boss and coworkers where they were all huddled at the reception desk. "What is it?"

"We´ll be closing the salon in a few minutes."

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was barely four o´clock on the afternoon. "Let me guess. People cancelled their appointments because they fear the snow will ruin their hairdos," he said.

"More or less."

He glanced back at the window again. "Everyone cancelled?"

"I´m afraid so. We´ll have to leave early."

"Hmm."

"Better for us, eh, Louis-kun?" Harumi said with a smile.

"We get a day off… sort of," Lillian put in with her American accent.

"Indeed." His mind went over what he could do if he had to leave three hours before he usually did. The first thing he could think of was dropping by a certain apartment to see a certain smile and certain pair of brown eyes.

Decision made.

"So… we can go already?" he asked.

"Yes," Fukui-san said.

He gave a slight smile, then went to retrieve his bag.

Harumi and Lillian stared at him.

"Well, this is interesting," Lillian said.

"What is?" he murmured as he put on his hoodie.

"This is the first time I´ve seen you so happy about going home early."

"I´m not going home."

Glances were exchanged between the women.

"With the tall, warm and handsome brunette, then?" Fukui-san guessed in an off-hand tone.

Louis froze.

Harumi chuckled. Lillian laughed. Fukui-san said, "Come on, boy, don't act so surprised. It´s not like we didn't know. I mean, ever since the first time he came here he was all flustered because of you and I think we´ve all seen you meet right outside the door like ten times, right, girls?"

The other two giggled their confirmation.

Louis cleared his throat. "I… see," he croaked.

"I´m happy for you, Asahina-kun," Fukui-san went on. "Many costumers here tried to get your attention but you never seemed interested at all. I´m glad you now have someone with you."

"It´s a disappointing confirmation, but I´m glad too," Harumi said.

"Um… thank you, I guess." His eyes skittered to the door.

"Enough holding him back!" Lillian announced, then pushed him forward. "You got the point. Now go. We all know you want to."

Feeling dazed, embarrassed –a bit amused too– Louis stumbled out of the salon into the cold and busy streets of Tokyo. He blinked a couple of times, then pulled his hood over his head and muttered some non-polite words.

Half an hour later he was shivering and making his way up to Kazuhiko´s apartment. He had rounded the last corner and was heading towards the third door on the right when he saw two men. They were carrying a couch inside. Kazuhiko´s front door had been unhinged and was now leaning against the outer wall.

Louis paused.

What were they doing…? Committing a robbery? No. The couch was going in not, out.

He frowned, then walked forward. He was about to open his mouth to ask what the men were doing when he heard, "Oh, hey there!"

The couch finally went in. Kazuhiko bolted out of the apartment as soon as the doorway was free and was right in front of the redhead in record time.

"Hello, Louis! What is this, a surprise visit?" he asked with a grin.

"I suppose," Louis replied with a slight smile. Almost as if it were a reflex, he inched closer.

Following the unconscious cue, Kazuhiko hugged him. His mouth found the redhead´s, whose lips parted right away.

"Someone´s learned very, very well," the brunette commented from inches away.

"Mmm," Louis responded, then kissed him again. Though heated, they kept it short… sort of.

"What are you doing here so early?" Kazuhiko said they´d separated.

"The salon had to close down." The redhead pulled his hood down. "The clients cancelled. They didn't want to risk their expensive hairdos with this weather."

"Understandable."

"Yes, and…" Louis shrugged. "I didn't want to go home. I figured you wouldn't get mad if I stopped by."

"Of course I don't. It´s always great to see you."

"The same I say." He turned in the brunette´s embrace to look at his unhinged door. "What is going on with the couch the men just took inside your apartment?"

"It´s Ryoko´s. I´m stuffing it here because she doesn't want to sell it but Isao-san doesn't like it."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She bought it a month before their wedding, and he really can´t stand the thing, but she appreciates it too much so she asked me if I had space for it."

"It´s big, isn't it?"

"Very." Kazuhiko nodded.

The movers came out of the apartment. One of them glanced around, then the other… and both of them paused. Their expressions turned surprised.

Silence.

The youngest of the two men finally cleared his throat. "Er…" he whispered. "We´re finished, sir. Do you want us to put the door back in its place?"

Louis pulled away. Kazuhiko snorted. "No, thank you. I´ll take care of it," he assured them before moving forward to ask if Ryoko had already paid them. Both men said yes, bade the couple farewell and disappeared down the hall.

The brunette laughed. "People´s reactions are funny."

"You mean men´s," Louis said.

"Yeah, men. With women it´s different. Ryoko says they´ve all got an inner fangirl."

"Fangirl?"

"Mmm-hmm." Kazuhiko patted the door. "Want to help me put the door back?"

Ten minutes later, the door was back in its frame, Louis had managed to get oil all over the front of his hoodie and Kazuhiko was having a laugh attack.

"Ha, ha," Louis muttered with a frown as he closed the door for the last and final time. He took off his shoes, then his hoodie and let it fall to the floor.

"Oh, don't frown at me. It´s amusing," the brunette replied as he took his shoes off as well. He glanced at the oil-tainted cloth. "I´m sorry for your sweater, though. You can wash it right now if you want."

"It´s okay. I´ll clean it when I get home." Louis shivered.

Kazuhiko blinked. "Are you cold?"

"The weather isn't very good."

"… Wait here." The brunette went farther into the apartment in search of one of his sweater. Though he´d known Louis for almost a year now he hadn't noticed until Halloween night how much the redhead depended on sweaters or long-sleeved shirts. He didn't think Louis was ashamed of… of anything. Most likely he was used to wearing sweaters and therefore cooled down faster than most people when he wasn't wearing one.

He went into his room, looked at the hooks on the inside of his closet. He snatched the first pullover he saw and returned to the living room, where Louis had wandered to examine the new couch.

"Here," he said, then handed it over.

Mauve eyes widened. "Um, thank you," he murmured. He stared at the red sweater, shrugged, pulled it over his head. Except for it being a bit too wide around the upper torso, it fit. Even the sleeves were the right size.

He looked at Kazuhiko, was met by a warm and slightly covetous smile.

"Don't look at me like I´m a thing," he half-teased with a low chuckle.

Kazuhiko tsked at him. "You don't think much of yourself, do you?" he asked as he moved in to hold Louis again. He pressed his bodies together, then tilted his head for a kiss.

"First you said you were a pillowcase. Now you´re a thing," he went on in a hushed tone, "but I´ve never agreed with what you say, Louis. I love you too much to think of you as less than a wonderful person."

At those words Asahina Louis´s body turned to stone. His blood turned to ice. His brain shut off a couple of seconds.

In slow motion, he turned his head to meet the caramel brown orbs.

"You… you what?" he stuttered.

Kazuhiko blinked. "I said I…" His own words came back to his mind, and his mouth dropped open. "Oh!" His cheeks lighted up like a Christmas tree.

They stared at each other. Louis unbelieving. Kazuhiko embarrassed. He´d meant to tell Louis he loved him at some point in the very near future, but he always kept putting it off. He didn't do it out of shyness, more because he thought it was quite obvious. Of course, he somehow suspected this hadn't been the best time or place to blurt it out.

"Um, Louis…" he began.

"Coming through!" Ryoko´s voice came loud and clear.

Kazuhiko knew that tone. He ran to the front door and jerked it open a nanosecond before his sister barreled inside with two huge boxes in her arms.

She zoomed in and managed to leave the boxes on the coffee table. She smiled, then glanced up.

"I figured you´d hear me if I screamed louder than usual," she said.

"I figured you´d stop by to see the couch´s new home before seven tonight," he replied. "But why did you bring boxes?"

"Dinner and dessert to thank you for taking care of it. It´s too much for the two of us so I want you to call Louis-san and ask him to…" she stopped talking when Kazuhiko pointed behind her. "What?" she said, then turned.

Louis waved.

"Oh… _oh_!" she walked over to the redhead and gave him the briefest of hugs. "Louis-san! What are you doing here so early?"

Louis told her.

She actually clapped her hands. "This couldn't be more perfect. Like I said, I brought dinner and dessert. You´ll stay to eat with us, right?"

"I guess I will, Ryoko-san."

She clapped again, then eyed the red pullover. She glanced at her brother. At his almost imperceptible nod she gave a happy sigh.

"So, what do you both think of the couch?" she said, changing the subject.

Kazuhiko shrugged. "It doesn't surprise me Isao-san didn't like it. The pattern is hideous."

She frowned.

"Just kidding, nee-san."

"You´re such a dork. What about you, Louis-san? Do you like it?"

The redhead blinked, shoved his hands into his jean pockets. Gave the couch another glance.

"It´s bigger and fluffier than any other I´ve ever seen," he said. "It looks like it could fit three persons lying down."

"It´s almost a bed," she agreed.

Louis´s lips quirked. "I like it."

"Thank you! The one we have in Shizuoka´s country house is even bigger, though."

"Shizuoka. Where you went to deal with the manager´s quitting?"

She nodded. "Our father left us a house on an isolated part of town. We used to spend summers there. Nowadays we use it when we travel there for work."

"Now that you mention it, we haven´t gone to Shizuoka to relax in various years. Since before I entered college, I believe," Kazuhiko said.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "So long?"

"I think so. Nee-san?"

Ryoko considered the question. "Just for fun, no, we haven´t been there for years, but to deal with the company I went twice last twice, and the two of us went a few months ago." She bit her lip. "It´d be nice to go again. All of us."

"You mean you and Isao-san, Louis and I?"

"Yes." She focused on the redhead. "If you have the time, would you go with us to Shizuoka? The house is enormous and beautiful. We can make it some sort of pre-Christmas trip."

Louis was surprised. "Like a… family trip?" he asked with hesitation.

"Kaz has already been to your house a lot of times and he´s spent a lot of time with your family, You should spend time with his family too, and what better place than a country house?"

"… I don't think…"

"Nonsense. Come with us to Shizuoka. It´ll be fun."

After more persuasive attack Louis gave in and said he´d go with them. Ryoko said she´d talk with Isao to see when he was free and the four of them would leave for the country house.

"Now," she announced picking up the boxes, "let´s get to the kitchen and eat the cake I´ve bought."

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Kazuhiko´s accidental –or was it incidental– love confession slipped off Louis´s mind while Ryoko was in the apartment. However, when they had finished eating and she´d announced she was going home in a few minutes, the memory came back to him.

_I love you too much to think of you as less than a wonderful person_

'_I love you'. _

The feeling itself wasn't a surprise to Louis. After all, they were a couple, they had a romantic relationship. His subconscious had known love would enter the equation at some point or another. Hikaru had told him so. It was a matter of time. Louis had known he would come to love Akiyama Kazuhiko.

What he hadn't realized was he already loved the brunette.

It wasn't until he heard those words being said to him in such an honest and open manner that he became aware the feeling was returned. Stupid, cliché, corny? Yes, yes and hell yeah.

And now Louis was left with the fact he had to give an answer. It was obvious Kazuhiko hadn't meant to blurt it out like he did, but he still had, and Louis was sure he´d looked surprised and maybe even scared. The brunette had probably gotten the wrong idea. Louis felt he had to correct it.

The easiest and best solution was to tell Kazuhiko he loved him too. Louis had to say it half because he wanted to and half because he needed to.

But when was the right moment?

He was so deep in thought he barely managed to say goodbye to Ryoko when she left. He and Kazuhiko washed the dishes in silence, with the latter wondering what was he thinking.

When the dishes were done, they ambled into the living room. Kazuhiko flopped onto Ryoko´s couch. Louis just sat down.

The brunette stared. Frowned. "What´s wrong?" he murmured, but he already knew the answer.

Louis´s eyes slid to him. Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow.

The redhead pursed his lips. He moved forward until he was leaning against Kazuhiko´s chest, who welcomed him with mild surprise.

After wriggling around for a couple of minutes, they both ended up sprawled across the roomy couch with Louis resting against the other´s torso, his cheek against his arm.

Kazuhiko held him feeling satisfied and comfortable. He forgot about his own question and enjoyed the fact Louis was reaching out to him. Usually, he was the one to insist on physical contact, which was why whenever Louis sought it out himself, Akiyama Kazuhiko felt glad.

They were silent for a while, then Louis said, "It´s dark in here, don't you think?"

The brunette chuckled. "It is," he said, and turned on the TV.

Louis nuzzled himself against Kazuhiko even more. He watched the screen, not paying attention as to what was going on.

After about an hour and a half of being in the darkened but cozy room he began feeling sleepy. He yawned, then yawned again and again.

"Louis?" came the worried voice.

"It´s late," was all he said.

Kazuhiko stiffened. "It´s almost eleven. Trains still run at this hour, don't they?"

"Yes, but I don't feel like going home." Louis rolled up his eyes to see the brunette´s profile. He yawned. "I don't even feel like getting up from this couch. It´s too comfortable." Kazuhiko´s presence and the red pullover didn't hem either.

"… What are you saying?"

He wasn't sure what he was saying, but it all seemed to imply…

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"The whole night?"

"Mmm. Do you mind?"

Kazuhiko let out a snort. "Not in the least," he said.

Louis gave a weak smile. He shifted, then closed his eyes. He felt a hand grab his.

Getting sudden strength and inspiration out of nowhere he managed to murmur, "Kaz?"

The brunette chuckled. "Yes."

"I love you too."

And then Louis let himself sleep. He wouldn't stir until the next morning, when Masaomi´s call woke him up to demand knowing where the hell he was and why he hadn't come home last night.

**To be continued…**


	15. Chapter 15: Bad Feeling

Hello! Today I´m bringing you a short chapter. Again, my time was consumed, this time because it was exam week at school, but hopefully I´ll be able to deliver a much longer chapter next week. ^^ And by the way, anny Ema fan... I´m sorry! I´m just not too fond of her. You´ll soon find out why I say that. Apart from that, I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 15: Bad Feeling**

Louis had never thought of himself as a fidgety person. He´d always acted calm and cool no matter the situation, sort of like the jaded version of Kaname. He´d always believed his composed exterior couldn't be broken or perturbed by anything. He believed it up to the very moment Masaomi gave him the order.

'_You and Akiyama-san are coming down to the hospital this very week to check both of you out for any STDs.'_

It was Louis´s own fault Masaomi gave the order, but still, had there been the slightest need to yell it out in front of Chi-chan and the twins?

Well… maybe.

Louis supposed he´d earned it, what with having stayed at Kazuhiko´s overnight without telling anybody. His first mistake was staying with the brunette in the first place. The second was not to have told anyone in his family he was doing so. The third was sounding so damn groggy when Masaomi´s call woke him up the next morning, but the eldest should have known better than to call before eight. Louis was a heavy sleeper. Everyone knew it.

Except it hadn't stopped Masaomi –and the rest of the family– from jumping to conclusions. After knowing where he was, Masaomi had ordered him to get his sorry butt back to the apartments as soon as he could.

Still half-asleep, Louis said goodbye to Kazuhiko, who had moved to his own room around midnight after covering the redhead with a quilt, and left.

As soon as he got home, Louis was lectured on many, many subjects, privacy, how he head to call if he wasn't going to spend the night home, sex, romance, sex again, and then sex.

Thought Louis tried to voice out the fact he´d just _slept_ in Kazuhiko´s apartment, it all fell into deaf ears. Masaomi, more worried than disappointed, ordered him to come to the hospital with the brunette to get their bloods tested.

So there they were, one week after the incident, sitting in front of what Louis had dubbed the sex clinic, surrounded by some college students, prostitutes and an older man.

Louis kept pulling at the sleeves of his dark green long-sleeved shirt. His left foot kept twitching. His eyes wandered across the hall over and over.

Kazuhiko sat next to him cool as a cucumber, amused at the redhead´s nervousness.

"Everything is going to be fine," he assured the other man.

Mauve eyes flicked to him.

The brunette grinned. "I had to test myself once in college. I´m clean as far as I know."

Therein was the reason for the grin. "I´m not worried about you."

"I hardly doubt you´re carrying AIDS or tuberculosis, Louis, unless it´s been there since the moment you were born."

The redhead´s face flushed. "I´m not worried about me either," he said.

"Then why all the fidgeting?"

"Because… because this is uncomfortable."

Hmm, couldn't argue with that. "Look, I know this is awkward, and it won´t get better when the doctor…" Kazuhiko stopped talking.

Louis eyed him. "The doctor, what?"

"Um… nothing. Nothing at all." Kazuhiko swallowed the rest of his sentence. He was not going to tell Louis what went on when the doctors tested you for STDs. It wasn't anything… weird really, but since Louis had looked ready to die when he filled out the form… well, the brunette just hoped he could handle the embarrassing questions inside, the possible blood and swab test and the looking.

Kazuhiko himself wasn't as cool as he appeared. It had been very embarrassing the other time, what with the doctor being female and all. This time, however, he wasn't eighteen anymore. He hoped _he _could handle it as well.

The door to the clinic opened. A man stepped out with the doctor right behind him.

The woman in the lab coat checked the papers she had in her hands.

"Asahina Louis," she called.

Louis´s body stilled. He let out a hiss, and the doctor looked at him.

"Come on in," she said with a maternal smile.

Wishing the earth would swallow him, Louis got to his feet.

A hand encircled his wrist and he looked down.

"I can go in with you if you want," Kazuhiko offered.

It worked like a charm. In one second, Louis was inside the clinic, leaving a dazed doctor and a chuckling brunette behind.

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"See, I told you it wouldn't be the end of the world."

"I never said it was going to be it. I only said it wasn't uncomfortable."

"Was it?"

"Yes!"

Kazuhiko rolled his eyes. "Everything is going to be fine, okay? The results won´t be positive."

"I told you I wasn't worried about the results but the tests themselves."

"Well, you took them and you´re still alive, so no need to worry anymore."

Louis´s brown furrowed. "Now you have me worrying about the results."

"You´re so paranoid sometimes, honestly."

Louis gave the brunette´s shoulder a slight punch, which the latter brushed off with a killer smile.

"So, how was it?"

The couple stopped going down the stairs of the hospital´s entrance and turn around to see Masaomi approaching them.

Louis´s tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. His hands balled into fists. Kazuhiko threw a casual arm over his shoulders and pulled their bodies closer.

"He was the one to send us here, remember?" the brunette whispered, then turned to the other Asahina.

"It wasn't much different from the one I had done when I was eighteen," he said.

Masaomi raised an eyebrow. "You had an STD test done before?"

"Yes. The medicine faculty in college needed people subjects to practice on, and the whole architecture and engineering schools ended up the patients."

"And were your results negative?"

"All of them."

"Hmm. You should have told me, but…"

"It never hurts to make sure?"

The eldest smiled. "Never."

Kazuhiko nodded, released Louis and the three of them kept walking down.

"Has your shift ended for the day?" Louis spoke up finally.

"I finished about an hour ago. I was just waiting for the two of you to come out. We´re all having dinner outside and I was wondering if you two would like to join us."

"Us?"

"That's right, Louis. Us!" Tsubaki announced, appearing with Azusa and Ema in tow. The white-haired twin waved.

Louis pursed his lips. "Oh."

Greetings were exchanged. Compliments were given to Ema´s dress and how she looked. She smiled and blushed the most when the brunette gave what he´d begun calling his 'polite obligation' towards the only female in the family.

"Where is Wataru?" Masaomi asked.

"He went to get some ice cream over there," Azusa pointed to the ice cream stand next to the hospital. "We allowed him to get a cone only if he promised he would eat all his dinner."

"I´ll believe it when I see it," the doctor murmured, then sighed. "So, Louis, Akiyama-san, are you coming with us?"

"Or do you have something else to do?" Tsubaki asked, his tone much more sweet than it should.

Masaomi and Azusa tried to hide their minuscule smirks. Ema frowned.

"Tsubaki-san," she admonished. "I don't think Kazuhiko-san is like that."

The comment earned surprised glances from everyone there.

"You don't think _he´s _ like that? Louis, then?" Tsubaki said.

Her face turned tomato red. She gave the brunette a panicked glance. "N-No! I didn't mean… I just… he… Kazuhiko-san doesn't seem… he looks…"

"Thanks for coming to by defense, Ema-san, but it´s not necessary," Kazuhiko said in a tone Louis had never heard before. The tone was cold. Ice cold.

Ema looked even more appalled as she received a good dose of equally cool caramel brown eyes.

"Kaz?" Louis murmured.

A small shake of the head. "Are we having dinner with your family?"

"Um… sure."

"Great." Kazuhiko looked at Masaomi. "Where are you going? Tell us and we´ll get there on our own."

The eldest was giving Kazuhiko a very calculating look. His eyes narrowed when he said the name.

"Alright. We´ll see you there."

Five minutes later, Louis was looking at the brunette´s profile as the latter drove his car to the appointed restaurant.

"Did you get mad at Chi-chan?" he asked.

"No."

"I´ve never heard you sound so cold before."

"… Sorry."

Luis tilted his head to the side. "Can I know why you did it?"

Kazuhiko shrugged. "I… I don't have a valid reason, you know, just a bunch of bad feelings."

"About Chi-chan?"

"Indeed."

"Tell me." Louis leaned his elbow on the dashboard and his cheek on his palm.

The former glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Like I said, there´s no real reason, but ever since Halloween night, hell, Louis. I simply don't like the way she looks at me."

A smile curved the redhead´s lips. "What? Afraid you´ll fall for her womanly charms?"

Kazuhiko gave him a flat look. "Do I need to confess again?"

"… No."

He sighed. "The point is, I have a bad feeling. You´ve told me how all your brothers seem to fall head over heels for her."

"With a couple exceptions, but yes."

"That's what I´m worried about. I mean, she has your family chasing after her. What would happen if she starts chasing after somebody else?"

Louis frowned. "Are you saying she´s pinning for you?"

"I hope with all my heart and soul she isn't and never will." And Kazuhiko meant what he said. He loved Louis. While he would call Ema cute, she was a kid, and the type of girl he´d never liked: the princess-that-needs-to-be rescued type. Nope, he hadn't liked her much at the beginning, lesser now. Thanks to Ryoko he´d gained quite some understanding of the opposite sex.

One thing he knew: those looks weren't innocent. The way she dressed up wasn't either.

Kazuhiko wasn't worried about him falling for Ema. He was sure of how he felt. He knew his love wouldn't be swayed by such a delicate and mushy girl.

The problem was, if she kept this up, would the Asahina household be swayed? He suspected they would be, and it would all backfire on the redhead he held dear… and on him too.

**To be continued...**

To be continued…


	16. Chapter 16: Timing is All

Hey, everyone! Blake is here ready to deliver the next chapter. ^^ Let me tell you… I know the story is OOC, but this chapter has more of it, especially Ema. Please bear with me, hehehe, because if this didn't happen… I don't know what would. XD So yeah, try not to hate me. Thanks to everyone who´s been keeping up with the story. Hopefully this chapter will meet your standards. ;)

**Chapter 16:** **Timing is All**

"How´s the job search going?"

"Awesome."

"Have you found a potential job?"

"I´ve got a job already, as it turns out. See, I talked to one of our real estate agents because her husband works in a big construction company here in Tokyo. I asked her for some contact information and got in touch with them."

"And?"

"I got myself an interview, made some drafts for them and the boss told me I´d start working this January."

"So you´ve still got two months off, so to speak."

"Yes."

"But I gather you still have your morning job at the car shop."

Kazuhiko nodded.

Masaomi gave a thoughtful sigh. He stared at the younger man sitting across from him at the restaurant table for a whole three minutes before asking, "Do you have any flaws?" in a neutral tone.

The brunette looked flabbergasted. "… Flaws?"

"Defects, bad qualities, whatever you wish to call it. Do you have any?"

"Um… I have many."

"Such as?" Masaomi didn't lose his composed and calm appearance.

Kazuhiko tilted his head sideways. This was not an every-day conversion one had, less of all with your boyfriend´s older brother, but it was Masaomi, and he was probably taking advantage of the fact they were the only two people sitting at the table while everyone else was getting food from the sushi bar, so…

Flaws… yeah, he could list a few right the top off his head.

"I´m not very mature," he began, "which means I´m not a very calm or quiet person. I´m awkward around new people sometimes. I´m stubborn when I want to be… and can get quite attached with either things or people I´m really fond of. I like to speak my mind, I don't know the meaning of discreet and… um…"

Masaomi raised a hand to stop him. "Those aren't bad things per se," he said.

The brunette looked confused. "Then what would you consider a flaw?"

"I don't know. Arrogance, maybe. Hypocrisy, greed…"

"I honestly believe I´m not any of those. Well, maybe…"

"… infidelity as well."

That single word stopped Kazuhiko cold.

His mouth dropped open. He stared in bewilderment into the dark eyes of the eldest Asahina brother. Without words, the message was sent.

The youngest felt his face harden. "No, not at all," he said, tone firm.

Masaomi raised an eyebrow. "No, what?"

"Whatever she´s doing, she´s doing it herself. I have never encouraged her to do _anything._"

"And _what_ is she doing?"

"If you hadn't noticed we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place, Masaomi-san."

The eldest nodded. "Touché," he conceded, then, "I believe this all began after Halloween night."

Kazuhiko nodded.

"And have you ever talked to her in private or…"

"Why would I do such a thing? Apart from the time we first met when she dropped the groceries I´ve never been with her alone. Whenever I visit or go out with the Asahina family it´s always in group, and even then… I hate to put it this way, Masaomi-san, but the only one I want to be with is Louis. I am really grateful for all the support your family has shown us, but I repeat, the one I care the most for is Louis."

Though it wasn't very comfortable for Masaomi to be hearing all this, he had to have this conversation. As the eldest, as the father figure for Louis and to a certain point for Ema, he had to make sure Akiyama Kazuhiko wasn't in the family to create trouble, or to agitate the waters more than they were already.

He hadn't paid any mind to Ema´s behavior at first. He had thought she acted the way she did because he was Louis´s –her _brother´s _– boyfriend and because he was an 'unrelated male', but he´d observed her closely the last few times the family had gone out with the brunette, and after the little incident earlier at the hospital… he had to make sure.

"I would hate to find out you´re responding to what she´s doing," Masaomi went on.

Kazuhiko frowned, gave an exasperated sigh. "I am not, and I I won´t, Masaomi-san." His expression couldn't have been stonier… or surer of itself. He then stated the obvious. "If Louis and I hung out so long before I even met her, and we were a couple also before we met her… let´s simply say I am not a player."

"You don't play what?" Wataru asked with his typical wonder as he approached the table with Ema in tow.

Kazuhiko frowned harder. "With anything, Wataru-chan, less of all people," he said.

"Who would play with people? And how? Like human dominos or to make a human chain?" the boy asked.

Masaomi rubbed his temples. "Wataru," he chastised in a soft tone. "Leave it alone."

"But…"

"Masaomi-san, Kazuhiko-san, I brought you some Dragon Rolls to eat until the twins come back with all the other food," Ema interrupted with a sweet smile. She stepped forward to put the plate on the table.

"Oh, thank you, how nice," Masaomi said. He grabbed his chopsticks and plucked a roll from the dish.

Kazuhiko looked positively green.

"Kazuhiko-san?" she wondered, and turned big round eyes to him.

"Um, I sort of appreciate you being so attentive, but I…" he cleared his throat.

"You don't like sushi," Masaomi guessed.

"No. Since my sister and I got food poisoned about ten years ago I´ve grown weary of it."

"If you don't like sushi why did you agree to come eat here with us?" Wataru asked.

"I figured Louis wanted to eat with his family, but yes, I do know he doesn't like sushi either."

"You do?!"

"He says he doesn't like the taste." Kazuhiko shrugged.

"I can get you some rice if you want," Ema offered, her cheeks tainted pink.

"… No thanks, Ema-san."

"I-I wouldn't mind."

"Thank you, but no, I´m fine." He looked around. "Speaking of not liking sushi, where is Louis?"

"Oh! Louie-tan went out like ten minutes ago," the child informed him.

"Where did he go?"

"He said he was going to get something small to eat on the shop right across the street and then he would come back to join us."

"Is he allowed to do that?"

"Well, if I´m not they haven´t stopped me yet," the male in question hummed with amusement as he slid into the seat next to Kazuhiko. He placed a small paper bag on top of the table.

The brunette let out a sudden and short chuckle. "Why do you have a dog sack?"

Louis looked surprised. "Dog sack? Last I recall you told me this a…"

"It is. I´m just messing with you."

He rolled his eyes. "Tease."

"You know it." Kazuhiko gave him a smug smile.

Masaomi, Wataru and Ema watched their easy interaction. Wataru smiled. Ema´s lips thinned. Masaomi sighed.

Unless Kazuhiko was one of those super famous award-winning actors… the light in those eyes couldn't be faked.

"Akiyama-san," he said.

Caramel brown orbs flicked to him.

"You do play." Before any word could be uttered he added, "With who and how you should. I´m sorry."

Again, the most important part of the message was said without words.

"Thank you," Kazuhiko said, then turned his attention back to the redhead, what was being pulled out of the bag and what being said and handed to him.

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"You´re quieter than usual."

"Hmm? Oh. Am I?"

"Yep."

"Maybe you´re being more talkative than usual."

"Uh-huh. Which one is more likely to happen?"

Louis gave a faint smile. He sighed and patted Kazuhiko´s head absentmindly where it lay on his lap.

"Louis?" the brunette asked again, this time his tone much softer.

"I´m fine."

"You wouldn't be thinking about what I told you about your sister, would you? I didn't mean to worry or put you against her. I only wanted to let you know…"

"I´m not worried about Chi-chan."

The brunette stared at him. Louis smiled and began stroking the light brown hair. "I´m not worried because I trust you," he said, "and I´ve come to trust what we have. This may sound selfish and corny and girly, but I know you love me."

Kazuhiko´s expression turned solemn. "That´s right, Louis. I do. Very much," he murmured, and reached up to cup the redhead´s cheek in his palm.

"Then why should I be worried? If Chi-chan has a crush on you… it can´t be helped. If my brothers get the wrong idea it´s their problem. If they make it ours we´ll deal with it. The point is, as long as we´re good on the inside nothing on the outside will affect us."

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow and pulled his hand back. "Pretty optimistic words, coming from you."

"I´ve learned from the best." Louis returned his eyes to the sky, which he was looking at from the terrace in the Sunrise Residence.

After dinner –which in the end wasn't the best one anyone ever had– Wataru asked Kazuhiko to go home with them so they could play for a while. Indulging the boy even more, Kazuhiko agreed. The family gathered in the living room for a few rounds of charades and other board games.

A bit past nine, Masaomi announced it was time for the youngest to go to bed, and the party broke up. Everyone went to their rooms with the exception of Louis and Kazuhiko, who decided to hang out at the terrace until ten.

Taking the redhead´s word, Kazuhiko sighed. "Then why were you so serious?" he asked.

Louis shrugged. "I was just thinking about privacy."

"We´re alone right now."

"Alone in the terrace yes, but not alone-_alone_."

"… Do you want to be alone?"

"Not in the sense you might be thinking. After having such a wonderful privacy like the one we´ve had at your apartment or when we go out… I´ve begun to resent the fact my family is so big. When I´m here, I´m never alone. I didn't realize it until a little while ago, though,"

The brunette blinked, then tried to make sense of what he was hearing.

"You mean you don't like to be home anymore," he said.

"Not quite. I´m saying I wish I could have a place to myself, where I could have the privacy you´ve shown me one can have." Louis sighed, then added, "I think it´s time for me to move out of the apartments."

Kazuhiko blinked again… and bolted right up. "Please tell me you´re not doing all this…"

"Maybe the uncomfortableness at dinner had something to do with it, but it´s more what´s happening now. Everyone knows we´re here, and it feels like a burden."

It wasn't that Louis didn't want his family to know anymore, it wasn't that he was trying to hide, but lately whenever Kazuhiko was with his family… he felt he was being observed and judged. He didn't like it in the least. He loved the quietness and calm he got when they were at Kazuhiko´s. The knowledge it was just the two of them at the house was wonderful, refreshing, something he treasured.

The breaking point had been the earlier dinner. First of all, the conversation Masaomi and Kazuhiko had had, which the latter refused to talk about. Second, the teasing and the ogling of everyone at the table. Louis felt like he was in a fishbowl. Though it wasn't the first time, Louis had decided it would be one of the last ones.

And the moving out was an idea he´d been considering since before he met Kazuhiko. When he turned twenty he´d thought, 'if Hikaru-nii-san and Natsume-nii-san moved out why can I do the same?'

He´d dropped the idea days after he came up with it, but now he was reconsidering it.

"Do you mean it? Would you be willing to move out of Sunrise Residence to your own place?" the brunette asked.

"I already have the third floor all to myself, don't I?"

"But…" Kazuhiko stopped talking when he felt something cold on his head. His hand rose up to his hair, but more cold tidbits hit the back of his hand.

Both men raised their gazes to the sky. Snow was beginning to fall.

The redhead hummed. "Weather is so unpredictable," he said.

"It´s winter after all," Kazuhiko mumbled, then rose. "I guess it´s time for me to go."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I´ll walk you out, then."

The two of them went back down to the fifth floor. It was all dark except for a very soft light in the kitchen.

"Are you really considering moving out?" Kazuhiko verified again as they walked towards the elevator.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking?"

"Because if you meant what you said then I might be able to help you find a new home. I can get an agent to show you the available places around Tokyo, the suburbs or wherever you want to live."

"Oh, right." Hmm, one of the many advantages of having a 'rich boyfriend'. The thought made him smile. "If you could give me some help I´d appreciate it very much. I´d like to find a small place."

"Sure thing. I´ll ask around, and you tell me when you want to go window-shopping for a new apartment."

"New apartment? Whoa, are you moving out?"

The couple stopped when they heard Azusa speak. They turned in time to see the twin stepping out of the kitchen with a glass of water in his hands.

"Azusa-nii-san," was all Louis said.

"Why are you moving out?"

Kazuhiko thought the redhead would back then, that he´d say he wasn't moving out, but to his surprise Louis said, "No need to sound so alarmed, Azusa-nii-san. I´m not moving out tonight or tomorrow."

"Why would you…?"

"Hey, Azusa, what´s taking so long?" Tsubaki grumbled as he appeared and went to his twin, who pointed at Louis.

"He´s moving out," Azusa announced.

"Moving where?"

"Out. You know, like Natsume did."

"Oh!" Tsubaki looked at Louis. "Why are you moving out?" His eyes widened. "Wait a minute! Are you moving in with caramel boy? Is that it? Geez. I know you´ve been hanging out more time than you´ve been a couple, but don't you think it´s too soon?"

Louis felt his left eye twitch. "I am not moving in with Kazuhiko, and speaking of which, he has to go before it begins snowing. Excuse us." With a firm grip on te brunette´s wrist, Louis dragged him to the elevator and down to the first floor.

"No backing down, huh?" Kazuhiko mumbled.

"No. Now more than ever."

Feeling guilty because he somehow figured Louis making such a decision was all his fault, Kazuhiko moved forward to hold the redhead.

"I´m sorry," he said, because it was all he could think of.

..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-...-'¨'-..-'¨'-..

Three days later, Louis announced during dinner he was going away on a trip with Kazuhiko to Shizuoka.

"Before any of you get any crazy ideas," he went on as soon as the announcement had been given, "we are not going alone. His sister and brother-in-law are coming too, and it´s a country house they inherited when their father died."

"His father is dead?" asked a blushing Yuusuke.

"Yes. So is their mother."

"How sad," Ema said, looking sympathetic.

Louis nodded. He looked at Masaomi, who sighed.

"How long?" the eldest said.

"Five days."

"Sort of like a pre-Christmas trip?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Masaomi nodded. "It´ll be good for you to get out of town. Have fun. Be careful."

"You´re just letting him go?!" Ukyo exclaimed.

"He´s not a child, Ukyo. He´s an adult and it´s his life. He can do whatever he wants."

"Doesn't the 'my house, my rules' policy work in this case?"

"Why would it? He won´t be in the house, will he?"

The blonde looked sullen. Azusa and Tsubaki chuckled. Yuusuke and Wataru looked like they were trying to keep up with the conversation. Ema just stared.

"It must be nice to go away on a trip with him," she told Louis in a very soft voice.

"It will be," the redhead agreed, and gave her a confused look. "Why do you look so sad all of a sudden?"

She blushed. "N-No special reason," she lied.

..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-...-'¨'-..-'¨'-..

A week after the announcement, Kazuhiko was leaning against his car, which he´d parked outside the Sunrise Residence a little while ago. He was waiting for Louis, who was coming home from work. If things went as planned, the redhead would arrive, get his luggage for the trip, then the two of them would meet Ryoko and Isao at the couple´s house and the four of them would head off for Shizuoka.

Kazuhiko sighed, then took out his cell phone to look at the time. He wasn't worried out Louis being late. He was just bored. He´d never been patient, and now he´d been waiting for almost twenty horrible minutes without any signs of…

"Kazuhiko-san!"

Damn.

Reluctantly, he turned to find the voice. Just like he´d expected, Ema was walking towards him waving her hand in greeting with a huge smile on her face.

"Ema-san," he said when she was close enough.

"Good afternoon. How are you?"

"Fine, thank you." Because he couldn't stop his own stupid manners he added, "You?"

"Tired from another day at Meiji, but great." She gave him the once-over. "You look like you´re dressed for the biggest snowstorm yet."

"I don't know how´s the weather in Shizuoka, but it´s better to be prepared."

"Shizuoka?" she echoed with confusion, and her face fell. "Oh. You´re here to pick up Louis-san," she whispered.

"Why else would I be here?"

She kept silent for half a minute, then asked him about the country house. After some clipped answers she tried something else.

"Louis-san said your father left you the house."

"He did."

"Louis-san also said your father is dead."

Kazuhiko frowned. "Both my parents are."

"I… I´m sorry."

"Everyone is."

"No, I mean it. My parents are dead as well, you see."

Right. Louis had mentioned something about it… someday, somewhere.

And speaking of Louis…

"It must be hard for you," Ema went on, and inched closer to him. Since the brunette was leaning against the car, he had no other choice but to flatten himself against it.

"Not really," he replied, giving her a cold look, but for once, she didn't squirm back.

"Who raised you after they died?"

Kazuhiko thought about sliding away and getting into the car without answering her question. He thought about pushing her back and not answering her question. He thought about everything but answering her question. He got the feeling if he kept talking to her things would get ugly as hell.

However, he didn't have the nerve to be so nasty. Ryoko and his grandparents had made sure he was never _very_ disrespectful to anyone, less of all a girl.

Oh, stupid, stupid, stupid manners… or whatever they were.

"At what time does Louis usually arrive home?" he asked, determined to end the Kazuhiko-focused conversation right that minute.

Ema´s lips pursed. "It varies. Ever since he found you he gets home late," she murmured, then asked again, "Who raised you when you were left alone?"

"Why do you want to know?"

She shrugged. "Like I said, Kazuhiko-san, I understand you. I feel sympathy for you…" She let her voice trail off, stepped closer and one of her arms reached out as if to touch his face.

Aha. At long last something he could brush off.

With a slight smirk, he grabbed Ema´s wrist in one palm and placed the other on her shoulder.

"Oh no you don't," he chastised. He gave her a slight push backward.

She looked amazed. "Don't I what?" she asked.

Kazuhiko gave her a relieved yet stern smile. "You stay where you are right now and we will all be all right."

"But I was…"

"Do you think Louis would like to find out _what_ you´re doing, Ema-san?" At her expression he added, "I think not. He´s your brother, and he loves you. It wouldn't be very nice for him to realize you´re trying flirt with his boyfriend."

It was then that he saw Ema hadn't fully realized what she was doing until then. Her blush and suddenly moist eyes said it all.

"And I don't like it either," he said, raised both his hands off her… and got one snatched between both of hers.

"I… I´m not trying to flirt," she said.

"Oh no?" But they both knew she was.

"No. It´s just… you´re such a good man, Kazuhiko-san, and you´re not like all of them. You´re not after me like they all are, and even some boys at college. You´re different from them all."

Of course he was; he was dating Louis and therefore had no interest in anyone else. Much to his chagrin, though, he understood what she meant in one small moment of insight.

He sighed, hung his head. He tried to pull his hand back, but she went with the movement, and they ended close to one another yet again.

"Release my hand."

"Kazuhiko-san…"

"I´m going to be straight with you, okay? Under other circumstances I´d feel flattered if a girl likes me, but even so, I wouldn't pay you any mind, Ema-san, because you are the type of girl I can´t stand. My sister is loud, independent and sort of a troublemaker. I grew up with her and many of her friends who behaved like her. I became used to women like her, and to this day I don't conceive the idea of girls like you. You´re too soft, too delicate, too princess-like for me to pay attention to."

He locked his eyes with hers. "As it is, Ema-san, I don't even feel flattered. I became attracted to Louis, I went out with him, I fell in love with him and I don't feel for anyone else the slightest bit of what I feel for him. I don't return your feelings, but if you keep this up you are going to screw up everyone´s life."

"But why?"

"Because there are many men who want to be with you, and if they see you doing this, they´ll think I´m pursuing you as well and get the wrong ideas. If they do, they´ll…"

"Who the hell are you and what do you think you´re doing?!"

Ema jumped. Kazuhiko sighed.

"Yeah, that will happen," he said. Ema released his hand, but it was too late.

An angry Subaru stomped over to them, his luggage forgotten behind him, his hand squeezing the backpack strap he had slung over one shoulder. He looked livid.

"Subaru-san! What are you doing here?" Ema stuttered.

"I´m home for Christmas already." He glared at Kazuhiko. "And the first thing I see is this. What the hell were you two doing a second ago? And _who are you_, anyway?"

Here we go.

**To be continued…**


	17. Chapter 17: Fed Up

Hi! So here is the new chapter. I think it has more drama than the rest, hahaha, but fluff and drama are what I do best so here it is. ^^ Hope it doesn't seem too OOC what´s up ahead, and once again, thank you all for keeping up with the story! I appreciate it, very, very much. :*

**Chapter 17: Fed Up**

Kazuhiko was neither surprised nor scared about having an obviously jealous man right in front of him. Ema had called him 'Subaru'.

Subaru… who was Subaru? Louis had mentioned him various times. Subaru… he was the one… uh… oh, yes! The answer came to him in a speedy memory.

"_Most of your brothers are in love with Ema-san?"_

"_Mmm, I wouldn't say in love–in love, but apart from Hikaru-nii-san, Masaomi-nii-san and myself they all want her in their own different ways. I am very worried about Subaru-kun, though."_

"_Worried? Why?"_

"_I can´t quite give you a good explanation, but the problem lies within Subaru-kun himself. He is in love with Chi-chan, as in: he does love her and sees her as a girlfriend and wants to be with her as much as he can, but he is also frustrated he can´t be with her."_

"_Because they´re siblings."_

"_Also because he doesn't think either of them is ready yet. The frustration, I believe, makes him jump at shadows."_

"_Meaning?"_

"_Meaning he punched Natsume-nii-san when he saw him hugging Chi-chan."_

Kazuhiko´s mind figured if Subaru had punched his own brother –his favorite one, according to Louis– what wouldn't he do to a stranger who appeared to be engaging in romantic activities with Ema? Of course, a little hand holding would not be considered romantic. Not in his book anyway, but maybe in Subaru´s…

"Well?" the man in question demanded.

Oh, this wasn't going to be good. All Kazuhiko needed now was for Ema to open her mouth and say or do something foolish.

Just as he´d had the thought, she spoke. "Subaru-san, please don't get mad," she said, then reached out to wrap her fingers around Kazuhiko´s wrist in a protective sort of way.

For Subaru –who´d lived in fear all the time he´d been gone, thinking one of his brothers would steal her heart before he could return and even give him a chance– this was too much.

"I will not allow this!" the black-haired man growled, then moved forward with murder written all across his face.

Out of instinct, Kazuhiko pushed Ema out of harm´s way. When he heard her gasp, he realized his mistake.

"Peachy," he muttered, and moved away a second before Subaru´s fist hit where his head had been.

"I don't know who the hell you are and I don't care. I will not lose her to you," the youngest of the men rambled on as he prepared to throw another punch.

Kazuhiko´s mind was racing. He didn't want to fight one of Louis´s clearly confused and emotional brothers. He didn't feel like fighting Subaru. If anything, he would have liked to give Ema a good shaking for getting him into this situation in the first place, but he couldn't. Again, Ryoko´s and his grandparents´ words got in the way. He couldn't hit Ema. He couldn't blame her. It would make him look like a spineless coward.

On the other side, he couldn't let Subaru punch him because he´d done nothing to deserve it.

Dammit. What could he do? Try to reason with the guy?

He decided he´d try civilized solutions first, so he dodged another punch before saying the stupidest and most cliché thing in the world. "This isn't what you think."

"Like hell it isn't!"

"It isn't!"

"Shut up!" Another failed attempt to hit him, and Kazuhiko stopped backing up –when had he started?– to glare at Subaru.

"Okay, genius, then tell me what you think," he spat.

Subaru´s anger faltered. "Huh?"

"You say it is what you think, so tell me what you´re thinking."

"… Don´t treat me like a nutcase. I know what I saw."

"_What_ did you see?"

Subaru´s nostrils flared. "I saw you two together."

"And what were we doing?" Kazuhiko didn't know how on Earth he could be acting like a composed psychologist while dealing with the angry brother, but he was grateful for it, because the other option was acting like Subaru, and two violent men were never a good combination.

The youngest didn't answer the question, only gritted his teeth and took a step forward.

Ema´s voice came. "Subaru-san, please calm down. It really isn't what you think."

The latter turned to look at her. "I saw you," Subaru repeated. His brain seemed short on both intelligence and words at the time.

Ema bit her lip. "We weren't doing anything."

"But from the way you look you wish you´d been doing something, don't you?"

Kazuhiko noticed how her mouth flew wide, how her cheeks turned even redder. Her expression said it all. Subaru had hit a nerve.

He groaned inwardly and started to shake his head, which was why Subaru managed to punch him this time.

He felt the hit straight to his temple with so much force that that part of his face went numb. He rocked back, shocked.

Ema gasped. Subaru heaved. There was silence for the few seconds Kazuhiko stayed doubled-over, then they both stilled when he straightened and walked over to the other man.

"If she wanted something else it isn't my problem," Kazuhiko muttered. "I didn't, and I never will. I don't want her."

Then he hit Subaru in the face as well.

From then on, Ema couldn't do squat. She tried to stop them from cursing and grappling with each other, she tried to get in the way. After admitting it was useless, she ran into the house screaming for the rest of the brothers.

The twins were the first ones to come running outside. She´d barely pointed at the fighting men before Tsubaki and Azusa sprinted in their direction.

"What is going on?" Ukyo thundered as he barreled out.

Eyes wide, Ema whispered, "Subaru-san and Kazuhiko-san are fighting."

"Subaru and who?" The blonde raised his eyes. When he saw Azusa dragging Subaru away from the brunette Tsubaki was trying to subdue he went to them too.

Still scared, Ema watched how the situation unfolded.

Subaru, screaming obscenities to the unknown man at the top of his lungs, kept pointing and inviting the other to come hit him.

Kazuhiko tried to free himself from Tsubaki´s grip as he yelled at Subaru what a blind and jealous idiot he was and that he didn't want Ema in the last.

The twins kept on murmuring the same soothing words over and over as they each held back a fighting man. Ukyo was standing between them and calling both Subaru and Kazuhiko childish, immature morons.

The terrible scene continued for a good five minutes. Peace couldn't be obtained. The men needed blood, two of them anyway, and the struggle would have kept on going had it not been for the voice of authority ringing out at long last.

"I want everybody to calm down right now."

One sentence, eight words, all said in less than five seconds in a cool and compose tone, yet it was enough.

Azusa and Tsubaki pulled away from the other two and backed away. Ukyo did the same. Ema stayed rooted in place and they all watched as Masaomi sidled up between Subaru and Kazuhiko with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. Louis stepped up beside him. The redhead was carrying both his and Masaomi´s black leather work bag in his arms. Both of them looked eerily blank.

"M-Masa-nii!" Subaru exclaimed.

"Louis," Kazuhiko said.

The redhead acknowledged him with a nod, then his eyes skated to the eldest Asahina brother, the patriarch of the household, if one was to be honest.

Masaomi waited until he was surrounded by silence and tension. When the goal had been achieved he said, "Now, Subaru, Akiyama-san, what was going on? And please do not yell or jump. I don't want to see you trying to kill each other again."

More silence, then Kazuhiko spoke because Subaru wasn't going to do it. He didn't, however, answer the question but instead asked one of his own.

"How come you two got here together?" The question was more aimed at Louis than to Masaomi.

The redhead noticed this and spoke in a cool voice Kazuhiko had heard only a few times before. "I was coming home from work when Masaomi-nii-san pulled up in the car five blocks form here. He brought me the rest of the way."

"And we find you and Subaru fighting as soon as we step out of the car," Masaomi said. His gaze sharpened. "Now, one of you answer my question."

Subaru spoke first this time. "This man, whoever he is, was with her when I arrived."

"What do you mean?" Ukyo asked.

Subaru glared at Kazuhiko. "I mean they were pressing up against the silver car here and holding hands and close as hell when I got here."

Louis´s mauve eyes slid to the brunette in question.

"That is a lie," Kazuhiko said, to no avail, or so he thought.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Masaomi asked.

"I was waiting for Louis to come home. We´re leaving for Shizuoka today."

"Had you been here long?"

"About half an hour."

"And why weren't you inside?"

Louis and Kazuhiko exchanged glances. "We´ve discussed various issues, Masaomi-san. We agreed it would be better if I kept the Asahina family at arm´s length the most I could, so Louis and I could keep problems to a minimum."

"Hey," Tsubaki protested.

For the eldest, that spoke volumes.

"Come here," he said to Ema. He motioned her forward with one hand while he rubbed his temples with the other.

The only girl on the street balled her hands into weak fists and stepped forward.

"Masaomi-san," she said in a hushed tone.

"I get the feeling you saw how this began. Am I wrong?"

"N-No."

"I will ask you one thing. I may not know you as long as I know my brothers but I know when I´m being lied to, so tell me, did Akiyama-san approach you and pressed you to him as Subaru has described?"

She looked surprised. She began fidgeting with the scarf Natsume had given her. She gulped. She may have started all this but there was no way she´d put Kazuhiko on the spotlight. It wasn't a matter of liking, more of morality. Ironic, but true.

"He didn't. I… I approached him first."

Thunderous and pregnant silence. Masaomi stared at Ema´s face, then gave a slight nod.

"Louis," he said.

"Masaomi-nii-san," the redhead replied.

"You and Akiyama-san have to get to Shizuoka. Go get your luggage and an ice pack for your boyfriend´s swollen face, then go. Leave my bag in the kitchen."

"Yes, Masaomi-nii-san." Without looking at anyone, Louis headed for the apartments.

After he left there was more silence, followed by Subaru´s amazed, "Boyfriend? Louis-nii has a boyfriend?"

Kazuhiko waved his hand and glared at the former.

Masaomi had expected Subaru would calm down or just act surprise when he heard the revelation. Instead, he yelled, "You´re dating my older brother and flirting with her?! What type of unscrupulous scum are you?!"

The twins managed to grab Subaru and Kazuhiko before they went at it again.

Ukyo was dumbfounded. Masaomi had a headache.

Louis reappeared as soon as he´d gone. He had a knapsack slung over one shoulder, a canvas bag on one hand and an ice pack on the other.

"Let´s go, Kaz," he said softly, and looked at Tsubaki. The white-haired twin let the brunette go.

"Are we still going?" Kazuhiko asked, a bit amazed.

"I don't want to stay. I doubt you want to stay either." Louis gave Ema and Subaru a disappointed look, then handed over the ice pack.

Kazuhiko turned to Masaomi, who said, "I don't think it would be good for you to stay."

"Masaomi-nii-san! You´re giving him an out?" Ukyo said.

"You heard it too, Ukyo. She said it. It wasn't his fault, whatever Subaru saw."

The blonde looked livid. Louis grabbed Kazuhiko´s arm.

"Press the ice pack to your face and give me your keys," he said.

"My keys?"

"Yes. You´re not in very good conditions to drive. Please."

Louis had a point.

The brunette fished them out of his pants´ pocket and handed them over.

"Thank you. Now let´s _go_." To ensure both of them got to the car, Louis grabbed Kazuhiko´s wrist in a way that reminded him way too much of what Ema had done. The difference this time was the fact he went with the movement without a single word and with all his will.

Feeling like they were in a fishbowl again, Louis and Kazuhiko got in the car. The redhead revved the engine, and they sped away under the surveillance of all his family.

Not having the slightest idea what he could say, the brunette pressed the ice pack to his temple. It stung more than it should. Subaru must have gotten him good.

He stared out the window, threw occasional glances at Louis, noticed how tight the latter was holding the steering wheel. He was holding on with so much force his knuckles were white.

"Louis…" he began.

Louis´s jaw tightened. "Don´t."

"But we…"

"Really. Don´t."

"We need to talk about this."

"We will… just not now. Please."

It was the first time Louis said that word twice in one day, and in such a tired tone, so Kazuhiko closed his eyes, leaned his head back on the headrest and let it go for now.

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Ukyo couldn't believe Masaomi was doing this. He couldn't believe he´d let the couple go. He didn't have a problem with Louis himself; they were brothers after all, but the Akiyama guy… the guy who´d messed Louis up and even _her_.

"This is unfair, Masaomi-nii-san," he said as they all watched the sedan disappear down the street.

The eldest closed his eyes. He continued rubbing his temples. "Not now, Ukyo."

"When, then? This is not the first time you´ve given Akiyama an out. He had to stay here and give us some explanations."

"I don't think he´s the one who was to explain us what was going on."

The twins´ and Subaru´s eyes went to Ema. Ukyo glared at his brother.

"You´re trusting him more than her," the blonde accused.

Masaomi opened his eyes. For the first time, he looked angry.

"Well, Ukyo, I´m sorry to point this out but Akiyama-san has turned out to be more trustworthy than her."

"How dare you!"

Sigh. "Let me put it this way. You, think about what she admitted. Subaru, think about what you saw. Ema-" and it was the first time he said her name, "-think about what you did. Louis was very disappointed. So am I."

Without further word, Masaomi went inside. His head hurt real bad. He was very tired, and not only from his double shift at the hospital. Plus, he was upset with the whole situation… and yet, there was one little detail, one little scene which kept playing time and time again in his head.

_As they neared the Sunrise Residence, Masaomi glanced at Louis out of the corner of his eye. _

"_You´re smiling," he commented. _

"_Oh? Shouldn't I?" the redhead replied somewhat distracted. _

"_Of course you should, and you always smile, but there´s something different today." _

"_Mmm."_

_The eldest chuckled. "Let me take a wild guess. It´s got to do with Akiyama-san."_

_Louis shrugged. "We´re leaving for Shizuoka in a few hours," he said. _

"_Oh, so today´s the day. Thanks for reminding me, but you´re not going alone, are you?"_

"_No, Masaomi-nii-san. As I said before, his sister and brother-in-law will come with us."_

"_You think they´ll chaperone you boys?" The car stopped a good distance away from the building. He killed the engine. _

_The redhead laughed as he took both their bags and got out. Masaomi followed suit. They began their walk for the apartments. _

"_Ryoko-san is as worried for her otouto as you are for me, so yes, I believe they will," Louis murmured. _

"_It´s not that I don't trust you, Louis."_

"_I appreciate your concern, Masaomi-nii-san, I really…" At the other´s pause, Masaomi blinked at him. Louis was staring straight ahead. He did the same. _

_His head began throbbing and he cursed in his head the second he saw Ema and the fight. _

"_Louis…" he began, but stopped cold when he saw the redhead´s hands squeezing the bags he held. His expression however…_

_Disappointment was too mild a way to put it. _

Masaomi groaned. "If only people in this family minded their own business and gave each other privacy," he muttered.

Of course, in the Asahina family, all these thoughts were utopic.

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If Louis had been a woman, Kazuhiko wouldn't have let the issue go. He had enough experience with the human population to know that letting them think it over often ended in very hurt feelings and a bigger, harsher argument than the incident itself.

But Louis wasn't a girl.

Not sure how to approach this the right way, Kazuhiko tried to put himself in Louis´s place. If he´d come home to find Louis fighting with Isao over Ryoko when it was all her fault for approaching his boyfriend in the first place… oh, he would give Ryoko hell, of course, but… he´d also be mad, hurt and disappointed with her. He would want to be left alone so he could cool down and think what he and Louis should do now. The redhead was much rational than him, though…

No, it didn't matter whether Louis was a pacifist or not. Feelings were feelings. Pride was pride, no matter what. Louis needed time. Kazuhiko would give it to him. He´d behave and be good the most he could, especially because they were both inside the tense and awkward sedan.

Since Louis already knew where they were supposed to meet Ryoko and Isao, he drove to the outskirts of town. They´d meet the married couple at Isao´s favorite restaurant because Ryoko wanted to have an early dinner with them and make an announcement before they headed off.

They drove in silence. Louis´s hands didn't ease on the steering wheel. Kazuhiko didn't push, only tried to keep the swelling of his face down.

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, however, his whole face hurt and throbbed.

They walked inside in silence. They found Ryoko an Isao in silence. They sat down in silence and avoided looking at each other.

Then Ryoko noticed her brother´s face.

"What happened to you?!" she exploded, rose to her feet and over the table to examine the wound. Her eyes were wild, her expression furious.

"I… uh, got hit," Kazuhiko muttered after giving Louis a sidelong glance.

"Well, duh, I can see you got hit. How did it happen? Did he provoke you or did you provoke him?"

"I would never…"

"When you´re mad your pretty much capable of…!"

"Ryo-chan," Isao warned, touching his wife´s arm.

She glared down at him. "What?"

"Calm down. You can´t afford to be riled up anymore. And besides, you´re attracting too much attention."

She didn't budge.

Isao sighed, then glanced at the young men across the table. "Kazuhiko-kun, good to see you," he said.

"Isao-san, good to see you too," the brunette replied.

Isao sighed, looked at Louis, smiled. "Louis-san, I presume. We saw each other at the wedding and I´ve heard a lot about you, but we´ve never been formally introduce. Ironic after all this time, don't you think?"

The redhead blinked. "I hadn't thought about it," he admitted, and Kazuhiko felt relieved. This proved Louis was okay enough to talk. "But I suppose you are correct. I´m Asahina Louis."

"Fujiwara Isao. I´m glad to meet Kazuhiko-kun´s boyfriend."

For some reason, the last word made Louis cringe. They all saw how he also paled, how his a tightened.

"Louis-san?" Ryoko wondered.

Feeling kind of claustrophobic, Louis rose to his feet. He needed solitude. ASAP.

"Excuse me," he murmured, then went off to find the bathrooms.

Kazuhiko closed his eyes and hung his head. He cursed under his breath.

"Did I say something wrong?" Isao asked, confused.

"No, Isao-san, you didn't."

"Okay, Kaz, spit it out," Ryoko grumbled, sitting back down.

The youngest glanced at her. "Spit what out?"

"What happened. Or rather, tell me which brother hit you and what did she do to make you buys fight?"

Kazuhiko gaped at her for a good thirty seconds.

"How do you… I never… we…" he stuttered like a completed idiot.

Ryoko gave her brother a look. "You've dropped hints here and there, and once you told me you didn't like the way she looked at you. If you throw in how Louis-san is acting and how smart I am… well, you get the picture." She crossed her arms. "Spill it."

Finding himself under the scrutinized by both his sister and his brother-in-law, Kazuhiko told them a general, superficial version of what had happened back at the apartments.

By the time he finished, Ryoko was livid.

"Gosh, that girls is nothing but trouble!" she yelled. "I hate her! Who on Earth does she think she is?"

"I don't know."

She frowned at him. "And what are you doing here sitting like an idiot? Louis-san is inside the bathroom. You guys need to talk now."

"I know, okay? I do know, and I tried, but he doesn't… I mean… he´s not a woman. I can´t push or corner him. It´ll be worse if I do, right?" He looked at Isao, who gave a thoughtful hum, then nodded.

"Isao!" she protested.

Her husband shrugged. "He´s right, Ryo-chan. Louis-san is a man. Most women like the fact men keep needling and pretty much begging at them after a fight, but Kazuhiko-kun can´t do that. If he does, it´ll be worse."

"So he should just stay here?"

"It would be the best option."

"I agree… but I´ll give it a try right now anyway."

"Listening to the voice of reason?" Ryoko asked.

"Nope. My face hurts, so I´ll go splash some water on it and see if Louis wants to talk yet."

He rose, went for the fancy bathrooms. The air-conditioned room welcomed him. He glanced around, saw it was apparently empty. His eyes went to Louis. He had his hands pressed against the sinks, squeezing them. His head hung down, and his body was shaking.

For one terrible moment, Kazuhiko thought he was crying. The thought was enough for his insides to turn to mush.

"Oh, damn," he muttered. Unable to help himself, Kazuhiko went and slid his arms around Louis´s shoulders. He hugged the redhead as tight as he could, not caring how Louis suddenly stilled.

"Kazuhiko…" Louis began. His voice sounded steady. Dry mauve eyes found molten brown ones.

"I´m sorry," Kazuhiko said.

"… What for?"

"I… I don't know. I just thought I should say it."

Louis´s lips quirked. His expression softened. "Don´t apologize. I´m not mad… not at you anyway."

"Then what…?"

"I´m fed up, is all."

"With your family?"

"My family, my sister, my house… It´s just that I don't think I can cope with anything anymore." He gave Kazuhiko a sad glance. "And I´m afraid the 'anything' includes us as well."

**To be continued…**


	18. Chapter 18: Asahina-Free

Hello! Here is chapter eighteen. I´m sorry I left it in a cliffhanger last week, but see, I ran out of time to write. XD Anyhow, I hope you all like this fluffy chapter. Thanks so much for reading!

**Chapter 18: Asahina-Free**

This time, it was Kazuhiko who froze. His arms loosed, yet he didn't let go of the redhead.

"W-What did you… s-say?" he whispered, both surprised and confused.

Louis´s expression fell even more. "I don't think I can cope with all these issues anymore, even us," he rephrased.

The brunette frowned, blinked, frowned again. "You can´t be suggesting…"

"Maybe it´d be best for all of us."

"… Hang on."

Kazuhiko stepped away and went to lock the door.

Louis´s eyes widened as he turned on the sinks to lean his butt against it. "What are you doing?" he asked, cautious.

With a frown, Kazuhiko stalked back to the redhead and put an arm on either side of him on the sinks, cornering him, trapping him.

"Kazuhiko." Louis´s voice held a dangerous edge.

"Right here," the brunette replied, then met the other´s eyes. "First of all, you need to calm down. I´m not a yandere type of guy, I promise. If you want to break up with me I won´t hate you, threaten you or kill you…" –_I´d be devastated though_–"but please…" –_don't do it_– "please think it through first. Do you really want to break up with me?"

The redhead´s lips thinned. He stayed silent for a while, then said, "Maybe it´s the right thing to do."

"But right for _who_? For your brothers? For your stepsister?"

He jerked as if he´d been slapped. "I don't want to talk about them, nor her," he muttered.

"It´s their fault you´re acting this way in the first place, isn't it?"

"Not entirely their fault."

"Oh, so now you´re blaming me?" Kazuhiko´s voice sounded hostile.

For the first time since they´d met, Louis glared at him. "What am I supposed to think, coming home to find you and Subaru-kun punching the lights out of each other?"

"You better not be thinking what I think you´re thinking, Asahina Louis, because if that's the reason you want to break up with me then I will not, hear me well, _I will not allow it_!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kazuhiko flinched.

Oh no, oh no, he hadn't meant to sound like Subaru. He hadn't meant to sound so damn angry and possessive. He was in a panic, but wasn't angry… not very much.

To his own chagrin, to Louis it meant he really was angry, and even threatening him.

"You can´t keep me from choosing," Louis muttered, and his body tensed up. He looked as if he were calculating the possibilities of dashing past Kazuhiko and back to the restaurant.

The brunette´s mind went blank. Oh damn, oh damn. How could he fix this? He had to think. He had to voice the real reason he wouldn't allow Louis to break up with him, and he had to do it with the right words.

Damn it!

"Louis…" he began, but the redhead cut him off.

"I told you I can´t deal with this situation anymore, then you do this little angry act, and I swear, I won´t…"

"No, no, no, you´re misunderstanding things!"

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes! I didn't meant to sound so bratty, but I won´t let you break up with me for them, because let´s face it, that's what you´re doing, isn't it?"

Louis gritted his teeth. He hugged himself with so much force his knuckles turned white for the second time in less than two hours.

"Isn´t it?" Kazuhiko asked again.

"I don't see why you care why I break up with you," the other said in the end.

"I care a lot, Louis, and let me tell you why. If you decide you want to dump me so your family can give you your privacy back, so your sister won´t be a nuisance anymore and so things return to normal… I already told you, I won´t allow it."

"Why not?"

"Because it´s not what _you_ want." _And it´s not what I want either._ "It´s what they want. You´d be pleasing them at your expense." _At my expense, at _our_ expense._

Louis frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"I´m saying… I´m saying I won´t lose you because of your scandalous family. If you´re tired of me, if you don't enjoy my company anymore, if you don't like me anymore, if you don't love me anymore…" he gulped, then shook his head, "then okay. If it´s what you want we´ll call it quits right here, we´ll end this. If it´s you´re the one who doesn't want me anymore I´ll accept it, but not if it´s them."

Kazuhiko inched closer without moving anything but his face. His lips hovered over Louis´s closed ones.

"Be selfish, Louis, and tell me… do you want to leave me? Or does the Asahina family want to leave me?"

The redhead´s hands tightened even more, because Kazuhiko couldn't have said it better.

'_Do you want to leave me? Or does the Asahina family want you to leave me?'_

At this point, Louis didn't know who he was or who the Asahinas were. His mind was a total an absolute mess of screams, scolds, advice and feelings.

Did _he_ want to break up with Akiyama Kazuhiko?

No, no he didn't. He didn't want to lose the one person he´d loved in his whole life. He didn't want to leave the man who amused him to no end sometimes but also the one he could talk to whenever he wanted. He didn't want to let go of the trust he´d put in the brunette, of the attraction, privacy and intimacy they had with one another. He didn't want to suffer the loss of the comfort, the sheer joy Kazuhiko gave him. He´d experimented love once in his life, and he treasured it, treasured _him_.

How can one let go of –possibly– the best thing that´s happened on one´s life?

Answer: you don't.

So, one problem solved. He was not going to break up Kazuhiko.

Did the decision mean he had to break up with his family?

It was obvious peace wasn't going to come as long as he continued to date the brunette. Though Masaomi-nii-san didn't have a problem with it and in fact seemed to help them both… the rest of the brothers were a problem, especially after Subaru´s little display of jealousy.

Which brought Louis´s thoughts to Ema.

Though he wasn't going to say it out loud, he was both hurt and disappointed the girl he´d cherished had… ¿betrayed? him in such a way. It was a pity, because Louis had loved her like a friend, like a member of the family, like a little sister She´d been family, and family doesn't hit on the person you love.

Now, however, Louis didn't want to know anything about the Asahinas nor Hinata Ema in a very long time, or at least until he and Kazuhiko got the situation sorted out.

Wait a minute. He and Kazuhiko?

With that thought, Louis knew he´d made his choice. Before he made it official, though, he had to make sure of one thing.

"I don't want to leave you," he said, and pushed away from the sink. This made Kazuhiko back up a little bit, and they ended staring at each other from inches away.

Louis´s eyes bore into the caramel brown ones. "I honestly don't want to leave you. I love you, and I want to be together even if my family doesn't approve. If it means I have to… emancipate from them I will do it… but I need to know you´re not going to… what do they call it? Oh yeah, leave me hanging, or respond to Chi-chan´s flirting. Both. Either. Whichever," he babbled, feeling rather stupid and corny.

Kazuhiko blinked at him various times, stared at him like this couldn't be happening… then he began laughing so bad his whole body shook.

Confused, Louis put his hands on the brunette´s shoulders and pushed him back.

"What´s so funny?" he asked.

Kazuhiko stared at him between chuckles. "You´re funny," he said, took a deep breath, then hugged the redhead with all his might, buried his nose on the pale neck.

"After all I´ve said, do you still doubt me? Please, Louis, have a little more faith in me," he whispered.

A soft laugh was all the answer he got, followed by a soft, "Sorry."

The brunette smiled, feeling like the war was over. "For a moment there I thought about hitting you in the head and running with you to Europe or something."

"Tease. You would never touch me anyway, even if you tried."

"Of course I wouldn't touch you like that, but who knows in what other ways…"

"Tease," Louis repeated, and shook his head. He gave another soft laugh.

Kazuhiko sighed. "This officially means our fight is over, doesn't it?"

"Mmm, I guess. I´ve never fought with a lover before."

"Then I declare it over. It´s impressive it took us this long to fight."

Louis raised an eyebrow. "Did you fight every day with your girlfriends before?"

A devilish smiled curved the brunette´s lips. "Jealous?"

"… No."

He laughed. "I know I´m kind of crazy, but I don't like fights. When I argued with any of them, though, it was annoying. Girls get worked up over the smallest of things, you know. They´re very emotional and… well it´s much easier to date a man, or so I´ve noticed."

"Oh."

They couldn't say anything else. The doorknob began jerking, and a voice called out to ask of anyone was in there and if there was they had to open the door because the man outside was about to pee himself.

Louis paled. Kazuhiko blushed. "Uh-oh," he muttered, then to Louis, "pretend you´re washing your hands."

The redhead did as instructed. He turned on the faucets and ran his hands under the water. Kazuhiko pretended to struggle with the door a couple of seconds, calling out apologies and curses for the incident.

When the door finally opened, a man spilled inside.

"What happened to the door?" he asked.

Kazuhiko managed a credible frown. "I don't know. Someone must have locked it and thought it was funny. There are some crazy people out there," he said, then rushed outside.

Louis snorted. The man looked at him.

"Did you see anyone?" the man asked.

The redhead dried his hands. "No," he said, then walked out as well.

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It was obvious to both Ryoko and Isao that the young couple had sorted it all out. More than words, it was the way Louis didn't look so exhausted anymore, the relaxed gleam in Kazuhiko´s eyes.

"I don't get it. How can some people fight for like only two minutes?" she asked Isao as Louis and her brother eyed the menu.

Her husband ran a hand through his short black hair. "Some people are more easy-going than you," he replied.

"Are you calling me stubborn?!"

"Yes."

"You´re a terrible man, Isao."

"And you´re the love of my life, Ryo-chan," he replied with a gentle smile.

Ryoko faltered, felt her cheeks turn red. "I hate you," she muttered.

"I know you don't."

"Gosh! I just can´t win against you, can I?"

"With how emotional you are, no, you can´t."

She sniffled. "I´m entitled to be emotional."

"Yes you are, more than usual anyway."

Kazuhiko watched the exchange with amusement. He liked his brother-in-law very much. He, much like Louis did with him, kept Ryoko in line, or at least out of jail. They made a good couple.

"So, nee-san, Isao-nii-san," he said in a honeyed tone, ignoring the pain in his face. He´d forgotten to splash some water on it back in the bathroom. He almost never called Isao nii-san, only Isao-san, but when he felt like the man deserved an award for dealing with Ryoko, he did it.

Ryoko´s brown orbs and Isao´s green ones flicked to him.

"What?" she grumbled.

"You tell me, oh beloved nee-san. Why did you have us meet here before heading off to Shizuoka? You said you wanted to tell us something."

Isao smiled proudly. Ryoko frowned.

"Oh yeah, I´d forgotten," she said.

"But now I´ve reminded you. What is it?" Kazuhiko nudged Louis, who stopped looking at the menu. "You want to know too, don't you, Louis?"

"About why Ryoko-san had us come here? Yes," the redhead said.

The only female looked overwhelmed.

"Let me tell you," Isao said, saving her the troubles. He reached for his wife´s hand, smiled.

Louis and Kazuhiko waited.

"We´re expecting a baby," Isao announced.

If Kazuhiko had been drinking something, he would have spit it all onto the table before he started coughing in disbelief. As it was, he choked with his own saliva and started coughing either way.

Louis, much more rational, only gaped. "R-Really?" he asked.

Isao nodded. Ryoko did the same, and her hands went to her belly.

"Oh. Wow. Wow! Congratulations, Ryoko-san, Isao-san," he said, and offered them both his best smile. He shook Isao´s hands, then got up to give Ryoko a quick hug.

When he´d sat back down, Kazuhiko cleared his throat.

"You´re pregnant?" he asked his sister.

"Yes, Kaz, I am."

"… Good heavens. Poor kind! What is he going to do with a mother like… ouch!" He couldn't finish the sentence because Ryoko had risen and had gone to hit him in the back of the head.

"Hey, I raised you, and you´re not very screwed up," she said.

"Only because our grandparents were there. If you´d been the only one then I´d be a bigger…"

"Mess than you already are? Fat chance, otouto." She grinned. "Now stop being a jerk and hug me. I know you want to."

Kazuhiko congratulated them both, then they ordered dinner and ate as if nothing had happened. It was a normal dinner, and it would have been perfect had it not been for Louis´s phone ringing while they were having dessert.

Scooping some whipped cream onto his fork with one hand, the redhead pulled his cell phone out with the other. He glanced at the screen, saw the name, hung up.

The phone rang again. Louis hung up. He did it once more before Kazuhiko asked, "Which brother is calling?"

"No brothers."

"But if you´re not answering…"

"Don't say it." Louis shook his head. "I don't want to talk about any of them." To empathize his point, he turned off his cell phone.

Kazuhiko tilted his head sideways. "I take it this means you want an apartment ASAP."

"Yes."

The brunette gave a soft hum, then reached under the table to hold Louis´s hands in his own.

"We´ll start with an Asahina-free weekend. Just the two of us and the big couch Ryoko told you about. How does that sound?"

Louis´s eyes shone with relief. "Sounds wonderful," he murmured, and God, just like what he needed.

**To be continued…**


	19. Chapter 19: Can t Help It

Hellooooooo! It´s been a while since I last updated, and first and foremost, I´d like to apologize for it. I got tangled up with schoolwork, plus my brain dried up and I couldn't get any inspiration at all, so… yes, my apologies!

Second, I´d like to thank all the persons who´ve followed and favorited this story, and above all, the people who´ve left me a review. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. :3 Special thanks to Tulliharja, Kadana and Renavelia, hahaha. This chapter is specially for you three and I hope you enjoy it!

Thank you all for reading!

**Chapter 19: Can´t Help It**

Louis eyed with suspicion the building in front of him. He took in the elegant structure, the polished wooden doors, the high ceilings, the enormous front yard.

"This is the Akiyama country house?" he verified.

Kazuhiko nodded. "Why do you sound so hesitant? Don't you like the house?"

"It´s not a matter of liking. It´s just… if you call _this_ a country house, what would you call a mansion?"

"Oh… I don't know. Maybe this house having four stories instead of two, and it having big bushes and trees on the outside instead of grass. A fence going around the whole place, too."

"Why don't you add a tollbooth as well?"

"I suppose it could fit in the mansion motif."

Louis laughed, then shook his head. "It´s an impressive house," he conceded. "Very western."

"Looks like it, but we have to take our shoes off inside anyway," Kazuhiko informed him.

"But there´ll be house slippers waiting for us inside."

"Yep."

The redhead accommodated the bag he had over his shoulder. He glanced around. "Where is Isao-san and Ryoko-san´s car? They were ahead of us. Shouldn't they be here already?"

"They should, but knowing Ryoko, she probably made Isao stop at a supermarket so she could get food for the whole time we´re here… and also because she felt like eating some weird little snack somewhere."

"Oh?"

"She said she´s eight weeks pregnant. Women get cravings around that time."

Louis raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

Kazuhiko grimaced. "Ryoko used to give me sex talks when I first entered college, said if I thought something was up with a girl I should look for signs like nausea, cravings or…"

"Okay, I get it." Louis placed his hand over his boyfriend´s mouth. He tsked at him. "I don't need to hear about your past sex life."

"Does it bother you?"

He frowned. "No."

"You're a terrible liar, Asahina Louis." Behind the hand, the brunette grinned, then lowered it and leaned in to kiss Louis.

"I didn't mean to bring up the subject," he apologized, eyes serious, his lips still curved in amusement.

"I know. I asked first; my bad. Can we go in now?"

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow, nodded. "Follow me," he said.

They trooped into the house and were reduced to padding around in their socks until the brunette managed to find the house slippers stuffed in a nylon bag in a hallway closet. He left two pairs right inside the main door for Isao and Ryoko to use, then gave Louis the tour of the house.

"This place is definitely a mansion, and a pristine one," the redhead murmured as he eyed the humongous kitchen. "How do you guys keep it clean if you don't visit often?"

"A neighbor comes once a week to take care of the basic chores. Of course, whenever we visit Ryoko and I split up the housework."

"What about cooking?"

Kazuhiko smiled. "Wondering if I´ll cook while we´re here?"

"You´re a great cook," Louis said, eyes wide and innocent.

"Thanks, and yeah, I play chef when we´re here, or I have the times we´ve been here before. However, maybe Isao-san will end with the job this trip. He´s the one who cooks back at home."

"What about Ryoko-san?"

"She can get the job done… but it´s not her best thing."

"I´d offer, but…"

"Mm-hmm. You and the kitchen don't mix at all. I know." Kazuhiko went for the stairs and made a vague gesture with his hand. "Come on. Let´s finish the tour."

The men had finished looking at the bedrooms in the upper floor when they heard the front door burst open, followed by Ryoko´s, "We´re home!"

"And so the scandal begins," Kazuhiko muttered as they trotted downstairs.

Louis chuckled, then his eyes widened when he saw the expecting parents making their way to the kitchen. Isao was carrying four big bags full of groceries. Ryoko followed with a small transparent box full of… popcorn balls?

"Good grief. You´re such an inconsiderate woman," Kazuhiko gasped, then he rushed forward to help his brother-in-law with the boxes.

"Thank you," Isao puffed. "And while you would be correct about Ryo-chan´s attitude, this time I told her to leave it all to me."

"Don't go all overprotective-father on me already, Isao-san. If you do, she´ll never let you live it down, even after the baby is born."

"You´re so mean. Isn´t he mean, Louis-san?" Ryoko said, wrinkling her nose and looking at _her_ unofficial brother-in-law.

The redhead smiled. "To be honest, Ryoko-san, your both very amusing," he said, hoping not to get on her bad side.

"You´re very cute when you´re trying not to make me angry," she replied, opened the little box and held it out. "Here, want a popcorn ball?"

"Thank you." Louis plucked one out, then asked, "Where did you get them?"

"She felt like having a popcorn ball and had me drive around for more than half an hour until she found a stand selling candy," Isao informed as he and Kazuhiko wandered back.

The youngest Akiyama said, "See? I told you. Cravings."

Louis rolled his eyes.

Ryoko grabbed another popcorn ball. "Has Kaz given you the tour, Louis-san?"

"He has."

"So which floor are you boys taking?"

"Taking?"

"Yep. Think of the house as a double apartment or something similar. You can have the first or the second floor because both have their own living room, their own bathroom and their own bedrooms. The only thing we need to share is the kitchen."

"This is your house, Ryoko-san. You tell me where I can drop my luggage, not the other way around."

"But you´re our guest and it´s your first time here."

"We´ll take the upper floor, thank you very much," Kazuhiko interrupted.

"We will?" Louis asked.

"Of course. The billiard table is upstairs, remember? So is the three-person-wide couch. We´re staying upstairs, no discussion allowed."

He accepted the order with a slight smirk.

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The second floor held three bedrooms, the 'rec room' as Kazuhiko called it, and a small living room which held the big, wide sofa, a couple of fluffy couches and a flat screen. There was another television in the master bedroom of that floor. The so called rec room held a billiard table, a small bar and a Jacuzzi. It was by every standard a rich adult´s game room.

Around nine thirty, long after the four of them had finished eating their dinner, Louis found himself staring at the huge table from the doorway. "I keep forgetting you´re pretty much a millionaire," he said.

"I think millionaire is saying too much," the brunette said at his side while he dried his hair with a towel. He´d just finished showering and had changed into a pair of black shorts and a tight white shirt.

"But you´re rich."

"So are you."

Louis opened his mouth to point out his family didn't have a Jacuzzi in the summer house, but then realized two things.

First, the summer house didn't have a Jacuzzi. It had a freaking private lake. Second, he was thinking about his family, and he wasn't supposed to. This was an Asahina-free weekend. Ironic, because he was an Asahina, but…

"So, which room do you want?" Kazuko asked, looked around, then gave a devilish smile. "Or we can both share the marvelous couch."

"For real?"

"Yeah. You slept better than fine the night you stayed at my apartment, I slept great too, and it was because we were both on the couch. Since this one is bigger…" He winked. "What do you say?"

"I say, as always: vexer."

"Oh, a new pet name."

Louis burst out laughing. "You´re impossible," he half-complained.

"Not really." Kazuhiko grinned. "Why don't you go shower while I grab some blankets from one of the rooms and take them to the couch? After you´re done, we can settle down for the night."

"Sounds like a plan." And God it did. It sounded like a perfect plan after such an… agitated day.

While the redhead went off to take a shower, Kazuhiko crept into the master bedroom and rummaged in the big closet until he found a couple of blankets. He left them on the couch. It was very similar indeed to the one he had at his apartment, except wider, and done in a dark beige tone.

He´d just flopped down onto the couch and turned on the TV when Louis ambled out of the bathroom.

"The showerhead here is so darn powerful," the redhead commented as he untangled and pushed pinkish wet tendrils out of his eyes. "Even that little thing shows how much money has been put into this house."

"Do you have a problem with me being rich?" Kazuhiko asked with mild amusement.

"It´s impressive. I never thought I´d date a…"

"I´m not a freaking millionaire, Louis, and if you say it again I´m going to jump out the window."

"Please don't. Ryoko-san would get mad."

"… You´re mean to me, you know that?"

Louis laughed. "Do you plan on watching anything on TV or are you just zapping?" he asked.

"I don't know. Come sit with me and help me figure it out."

He rolled his eyes and padded barefoot to where Kazuhiko was. He sat down with a tiny smirk while the latter tried not to make a comment about his boyfriend´s outfit.

Louis was pale, there was no question about it, but since he was only wearing loose, dark blue pants, he looked even paler. His lean and unmarred body stood out to perfection. With his wet hair curled around the top of his shoulders he looked scrumptious.

Kazuhiko didn't feel like he could give such a compliment, so he settled for saying, "Nice pajamas."

Louis curled up next to him and gave him the once-over. "You look more handsome than usual, even with your battered face" he replied matter-of-factly.

The brunette stared, then frowned. "Well, damn, that's just not fair," he muttered.

"What?"

"Here I was, trying not to say you look scrumptious and then you give me a double-edged compliment with such ease."

"Should I apologize?"

"Of course not."

"Hey, speaking of which, don't you want me to look at your wounds? And shouldn't you put ice on them or a bag of iced peas?"

Kazuhiko thought about it. "It stings, but I´m fine. No need for you to play doctor."

The redhead´s slender fingers danced their way up to Kazuhiko´s swollen cheek. As if it were a reflex, he flinched.

The pale hands stopped moving. "Are you sure you´re fine?"

"Yes, I´m sure."

"Mmm." Recovering, Louis kept tracing the golden skin. He smiled mostly to himself, then kissed the healthiest side of Kazuhiko´s lips.

The brunette blinked in surprise. "What was the kiss for?" Not that he minded, but Louis wasn't the type of guy who dropped kisses or hugs just because. He accepted them. He didn't give them.

Louis shrugged. "I want you to be okay," was all he said. To the brunette, the simple words held tons of meanings, which was why he grinned and twisted around in the couch to loop his arms around Louis´s waist.

"I love you, Louis," he whispered, pulling their bodies together and kissing the other man thoroughly. It had gotten way easier to say it since the sleepover at home, but he was still careful about repeating it. He wasn't embarrassed, but he was Louis´s first boyfriend, and he knew it could be overwhelming if he said it over and over. It would sound excessive and unnecessary.

Louis wound his fingers in the light brown hairs and kissed back. He sometimes still felt uncomfortable or like a little unexperienced kid, but –even though he didn't even want to think it– he enjoyed the kissing and the cuddling.

"What was the declaration for?" he asked, pressed against the brunette but not kissing him anymore.

"For worrying about me. You don't voice your feelings very often."

Louis blinked, then frowned. His fingers stopped moving.

"My apologies," he said.

"No need to apologize. You don't talk about them, but you show them."

He didn't know what to answer to that, so he didn't. Instead, he sighed and leaned his forehead against the brunette´s.

"How many days are we staying here, again?" he asked.

"Isao-san only got a weekend off, but we can stay longer if you want. We´ll be all by ourselves, though."

"Aren´t we already?"

"… Touché. My sister did give us free rein at dinner, didn't she?" Kazuhiko said with a thoughtful look.

The redhead nodded. "She did. It´s amusing how accepting she is of us."

Kazuhiko tsked at him. "Don't sound so grim. Ryoko has always been like that, supporting and open-minded. It´s her nature. What happens with your brothers is a completely different thing."

"How did you know I was talking about…?"

"I think your thoughts have been on them since this afternoon, Louis, and it´s understandable. What happened today was insane. Even if you don't want to talk about it, you can´t help but think it through."

Louis flinched, looked down, shook his head. "I wish I didn't even think it," he said, and gave a dry laugh. "And you know what´s bugging me the most? If Subaru-kun reacted this way, how will it affect the others? What about Fuuto-kun and Iori-kun? When they come home, it´s going to be a bloodbath."

"And do you want to face the possible bloodbath alone?"

"Of course I don't."

"Good, because you won´t. I´ll…"

"Kazuhiko."

They both turned at the sound of Ryoko´s voice. The brunette looked scared. She never, never called him by his full name.

"Nee-san, what´s wrong?" he asked, because something had to be off. He looked at Louis, who gave a slight nod and pulled back.

Kazuhiko got to his feet and walked to his quiet and pale sister.

"Nee-san," he said again.

Looking helpless, she held out her cell phone. He frowned at her.

"It´s Asahina-sama. He sounds mad, and he wants to talk to Louis-san about not answering his phone and other things," she said softly.

It took Kazuhiko a moment to remember who Asahina-sama was. When he did, his eyes flew wide. He grabbed the cell phone and held out to the redhead, who turned paler.

"No. I´m not going to talk to any of them."

"Louis…"

"No, Kazuhiko." His tone was firm.

The brunette felt lost for a couple of seconds, then realized he had no choice. With a sigh, he brought the phone up to his ear.

"Yes, Natsume-san," he murmured.

**To be continued…**


	20. Chapter 20: Cruel and Unscrupulous

Hi, it´s me again! :P And again I apologize for the very late update, but time has really become short for me. Today I bring you a long chapter with lots of Asahina family involvement and let me tell you beforehand… the "fight" isn't over. :D Thanks for keeping up with the story, everyone! I appreciate it lots.

As always, I hope you like it!

**Chapter 20: Cruel and Unscrupulous**

When Iori ambled into the Sunrise Residence´s front yard he didn't expect to see most of his brothers screaming at each other from one corner to another. He also didn't expect to see Ema crying, so when he did run into mayhem as soon as he set foot at home, he flinched.

"You have got to be kidding me. I haven´t even been here a minute and this is already a mess. Good grief," he muttered. He ignored his screaming family and dragged his luggage inside without anyone noticing.

Inside, he was met by absolute and profound silence. Whistling, he left his bags in his room and went up to the kitchen. The fifth floor was silent as well.

He rummaged in the fridge until he found a can of soda. He also found a bag of chips in the cabinets. When he was all set to go, he wandered downstairs again. He sat on the entrance steps of the Sunrise Residence and watched as the fight continued.

Ukyo and Subaru were screaming at the twins. As always, the latters appeared to stick together and were yelling something about blindness and jealousy. Ukyo and Subaru kept referring to one unscrupulous and even sinful bastard and Ema´s name kept popping up here and then as well. He also caught the words, 'immoral', 'illogical', Louis´s name and another one… Kazu… Kazu… Kazu-something.

To be honest with himself, he quite enjoyed watching the scenery. He´d been away from his loud, boisterous family for over a year. It was nice to see the usual Asahina chaos. He didn't really care what they were fighting for as long as no one got hurt.

And so Iori watched, and he watched, and he kept on watching until Yuusuke waddled up to them yelling, "Hey! Hey! Everyone…!"

He was ignored.

Yuusuke stared, frowned. "HEY!" he boomed, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Ukyo and Subaru stopped yelling. The twins stared at their younger brother.

"What?" Tsubaki snapped.

The redhead was taken aback. He scratched the back of his head, then said, "Don't snap at me. I just wanted to stop you all from fighting."

"We would if those two stopped being idiots," Subaru said.

"Suba-nii! When did you get back?"

"A few hours ago, and you know what? I come home and I run into the worst possible sight in the whole world."

"…Eh?"

"I saw an unscrupulous bastard making moves on her! Can you freaking believe it? He was…"

"Kazuo wasn't doing anything! You heard her yourselves. She was the one who reached out to him in the first place!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

"And why are you two defending that man? He´s disgusting," Ukyo roared.

"Of course he isn't! He may be crazy and he´s certainly a dork, but he´s not disgusting, much less to Louis," Azusa said.

"Louis? Kazuo?" Realization dawned on Yuusuke´s face, who then turned red with uncomfortableness. "What happened now with Louis-nii´s boyfriend?"

At _that_ single word, Iori couldn't keep quiet anymore.

"Whoa, hold on. Louis-nii has a boyfriend?" he said, rising to his feet.

All pairs of eyes focused on him. All mouths dropped to the floor. Ema was the first one to recover, sputtering, "I-Iori-san!" over and over again.

The boy waved, then wandered down the steps to meet his family.

"When did you arrive?" Ukyo spoke next.

"About an hour ago."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Azusa asked.

"I didn't want to interrupt your fighting. It´s reconforting to see such a common scene again. I´ve missed all of you guys a lot." Iori shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "Now, would one of you care to explain what is all this about Louis-nii getting a boyfriend? And does it involve her, because she´s been sobbing in a corner the whole time I´ve been here."

All eyes traveled to Ema this time, whose nose and eyes were puffy, red even.

"Oh, darn. Are you alright?" Yuusuke asked first, and made his way over to her.

Ema sniffled, then shook her head. "I´m not fine, and I´m… so sorry for causing you so much trouble. Please forgive me!" she cried, then ran into the building.

Iori watched let her pass. A year ago he would have run after her just like Subaru and Yuusuke did right then, but not anymore. He was a mature boy for his age, and had gotten over his little crush on Hinata Ema faster than others would have.

When he left for America, he´d been smitten with her, had given her the iris –at Louis´s encouragement and with Louis´s help, he had to add, because he´d been too shy to give it to her himself– and had asked her not to forgive him. Irony had it backwards, at least in his case. Within three months, his head was clear, his heart was his own again and he´d come to see her as what she was: a sister… kind of.

Seeing her today didn't change that. Iori was over her as a potential romantic partner, and since he´d always been prince-like but not exactly the most sensible brother around, chasing after her was not an option he considered.

Right now, his concern and curiosity was for one of his closest brothers.

"Ukyo-nii-san, Tsubaki-nii-san, Azusa-nii-san, one of you please stay here with me and explain what is all this about Louis-nii having a boyfriend."

Ukyo and Azusa stopped. Tsubaki hesitated.

"Shouldn't we…?" he started.

"I think she wants to be alone. Let the other be fools and figure it out themselves," Azusa replied.

The white-haired twin gritted his teeth but stopped moving.

Iori waited.

Ukyo crossed his arms, then said, "Go into the living room. We´ll tell you all about it inside."

The youngest trooped into the first floor´s living room. He sat down and waited some more.

Ukyo frowned, began pacing in front of the couches. Tsubaki tried speaking but the words wouldn't come out. In the end, it was Azusa who told Iori about Akiyama Kazuhiko, from the moment Louis began acting weird making everyone think he was finally dating someone to the little scene only a couple of ours ago.

When the twin was finished, Iori was resting his head in his palm, eyes wide.

"So… Louis-nii is in love with a man."

"Yep," Tsubaki said.

"And he resembles a golden retriever."

"He doesn't!" Ukyo protested.

"He does," Azusa insisted, "at least when he´s around Louis. The way Kazuhiko looks at him, the smile he gives, the way he talks… he really loves Louis."

"And you´re both okay with that fact."

"Well, why not? It´s not like we didn't think it at one point or another," Tsubaki said.

"We figured Louis was either gay or waiting for the perfect woman to come into his life when he was like seventeen. We don't mind. We like Kazuhiko. He´s silly, but like I said, he loves Louis," Azusa added.

"Ukyo-nii-san?" Iori asked.

The blonde sighed. "I don't like that guy."

"Why not?"

"He messed Louis up."

"How?" both the twins asked at the same time.

Ukyo sighed. "I won´t lie to you. I admit I at least once thought Louis liked men, but he didn't appear interested in anything… well, human, so I came to believe he was fine by himself and would be all his life. Of course, then Akiyama waltzed in and turned Louis into a rebellious and sneaky little boy."

Iori´s eyes widened. However, he let the comment slide. "But what if Kazuhiko-san loves Louis-nii? It doesn't make any difference to you?"

"No, because Louis changed for the worse just by knowing him."

To Iori, this didn't make any sense, and he sided with the twins. He also used to think Louis-nii liked men when he was Fuuto´s age, but when he made the comment to Kaname… the monk had given him the lecture of the century both on Buddhism and contemporary society. Throw in his easy-going and open-minded attitude… he hadn't even met this Kazuhiko, but if he made Louis happy, Iori didn't care whether it was a man or a woman.

"Okay," he mumbled, then frowned. "And what about what happened with Subaru-nii-san earlier?"

Tsubaki spread his hands. "I don't see what the big deal´s about. She already said it was her fault. She approached him."

"Because he flirted with her first," Ukyo growled.

"Oh, Kyo-nii, come on! With how he _drools_ whenever he´s with Louis I don't think he has eyes for anything else."

"Maybe he´s an excellent actor, and maybe you´ve both been fooled by him, just like Masaomi-nii-san."

"Masa-nii, what?" Wataru asked, running into the living room with his backpack. His eyes widened when he saw Iori.

"Welcome home, Io-nii!" he cried, and threw himself into Iori´s arms.

"Oh, Wataru, hello," the elder grunted as he endured the excited welcome from the youngest Asahina, who began asking rapid-fire questions about plane travel, university in America, flowers and other dumb stuff.

"Hey, Wataru, know what? Suba-nii is upstairs. He came back too," he said with a gentle smile.

The boy´s eyes widened. He grinned.

"I´m going to call Natsu-nii and tell him!" he screamed as he ran to the elevator.

Once Wataru was gone, Iori said, "Where were we?"

His three brothers stared at him.

"What?"

More staring, followed by a, "You´ve changed a hell of a lot, Iori," said by Tsubaki.

"Oh. Well, Tsubaki-nii-san, you´re not the same either. Can I say you´ve matured a lot?"

"He´s not the only one, believe me," Azusa said.

Iori grinned, stood up. "Is Masaomi-nii-san home?" he asked.

"He´s probably in his room," Ukyo informed him.

"Excuse me, then. I´ll go say hello and to ask him what he thinks about this whole situation."

"He´s been brainwashed," Ukyo muttered.

"Huh?"

Sigh. "Nothing, nothing."

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

Natsume was printing some documents in his office when his phone´s screen lit up and sound began drifting from it.

He gave it a sidelong glance. When he saw, 'home' he sighed and picked up.

"Yes," he said.

"Natsu-nii! Suba-nii and Io-nii are home for Christmas already! You have to come home and say hello!"

He frowned. "Wataru?"

"Yeah! Come home, Natsu-nii. Suba-nii wants to talk to you." And then the boy hung up.

Natsume stared at his phone. That had been a rather short and abrupt call. Could it be true what Wataru had said? Was Subaru home? He´d have trusted his youngest brother, but with Tsubaki around, one never knew. Maybe he´d tricked the kid into calling? It was a possibility.

Still, he hadn't called in over five months, had last visited even longer before.

He was due a visit to his family about now.

With a sigh, he finished printing, shut everything down and put on his suit jacket.

Half an hour later, he stepped onto the fifth floor to find most of his brothers huddled in the kitchen.

"I´m home," he said, and realized right away Wataru hadn't lied. There, in the small circle, were both Subaru and Iori.

"Ah, hello, welcome back," he said.

Subaru gave him a nod. Iori smiled and waved. They both returned to their quiet chat with everyone else.

Natsume counted heads. With Kaname at the temple, Hikaru somewhere out of Japan and Fuuto playing diva somewhere far away from Tokyo, the only ones missing were Louis and Masaomi since he´d seen Wataru in his room on his way up.

Of course, Louis was probably in Shizuoka with Akiyama-san and her younger brother.

Hence he asked, "Where is Masa-nii?"

Iori answered. "He´s in his room. He has a headache and wants to be left alone for the next couple of hours."

"Rough day at the hospital?"

"Rough day at home."

He raised an eyebrow, then decided to change the subject. "Is she home?" he asked with caution.

The air tensed right away. He almost regretted asking the question… almost.

"She´s in her room," Yuusuke mumbled, flushing for some unknown reason, "and she hasn't stopped crying."

Natsume was surprised. "What happened to her?"

After a brief exchange of glances among them all, Subaru told him about today´s afternoon and about Louis´s boyfriend in general.

When he was done, Natsume was mad at Kazuhiko for one single reason.

"Akiyama-otouto is so cold-hearted?" he exclaimed, unbelieving. He´d run into the big, goofy guy quite a few times at the company, had seen him and Ryoko talking even more, had glimpsed him in Facebook with his sister since he had to stay up to date with all his employees… and Kazuhiko had given off a friendly, hyperactive and sweet aura. He couldn't quite believe the guy was dating Louis, and trying to worm his way into _her_ heart up to the point _she_ cried for him.

Subaru stared. "What do you mean 'Akiyama-otouto'? Do you know him?"

"Not really. One of my best workers is his older sister. I´ve seen him around a lot, and I´ve known about him and Louis since the start… because of his sister as well."

"You did? Why didn't you tell us!"

"It was Louis´s decision to tell you all or not to tell, not mine."

"Are you okay with their relationship?" Iori asked. He was beginning to sound like a therapist.

Natsume shifted from one foot to the other. "I wouldn't want to see them go all lovey-dovey in front of me, I wouldn't want to be in a room next to them and I certainly don't want to know what goes through either of their minds… but it´s Louis´s life, and he can do whatever he wants with it as long as he doesn't drag anyone else into it."

Everyone kept quiet for a couple of minutes. Then Iori broke the silence.

"Homosexual issues aside… has anyone thought about calling Louis-nii to see how he´s doing? When I went up to talk to Masaomi-nii-san he said Louis-nii was rather devastated at what had happened." He glanced around the room. "Shouldn't we check on him? The problem lies within his boyfriend, not him. Besides, he´s our brother, right?"

Iori did have a point… a lot of points if they were all honest with themselves. Nonetheless, Subaru said, "When Yuusuke and I went up to talk to her she said she´d called Louis four times already. He wasn't picking up."

"We should still try."

Ten minutes later and after each of them had called Louis´s phone at least twice apiece, Iori spoke again.

"He won´t answer us, obviously. Anyone has the boyfriend´s number?"

Since no one had it, and no one wanted to bother Masaomi to see if even he had it, Iori said, "Alright, what other choice do we have?"

Natsume frowned, thought about it, then said, "I might be able to talk to him."

"How?" Yuusuke asked.

"Give me a minute." Natsume pulled up his list of contacts on his phones, looked up Akiyama Ryoko and pressed the call button.

After two rings, Ryoko picked up, sounding confused. "Asahina-sama? Is something wrong at work?"

"Ah… no. This call has nothing to do with work, Akiyama-san."

Silence. "Then what is it?"

"Our brothers are dating, correct?"

"… Yes." And now the woman sounded cautious.

"Then I assume you know what happened today."

More silence. "What do you want, Asahina-sama?"

Louis isn't answering his phone, and none of us has your brother´s number. We want to know Louis is alright. Are you close enough to hand them your phone?" Natsume knew he was stepping over the line doing this, using an employee for his personal business, but right then, she was the bridge between the Asahinas and Louis.

Ryoko started sputtering, but she managed to mumble out something like an agreement. Natsume heard shuffling, muffled words, and then a clear but unknown voice.

"Yes, Natsume-san?"

He blinked. It wasn't Louis, so… "Akiyama-otouto?" he replied.

"That´s me. Akiyama Kazuhiko."

"Louis´s boyfriend."

"Indeed."

"Can I talk to him?"

On the other side of the phone, the brunette glanced at Louis, who had gone to the farthest edge of the huge couch. He was hugging his knees, and he was so not looking at anyone or anything.

"I… uh, I´m afraid you can´t, Natsume-san. He doesn't want to come to the phone."

"The family is worried about him."

Kazuhiko sighed. "Louis, your family is worried," he told the redhead.

"I don't want to talk to them."

He relayed the message.

Natsume made a frustrated sound. "But is he alright?" he asked.

"Physically yes; emotionally not so much." At that, Louis got up and walked into the 'rec room'. Ryoko threw him a glance, the followed her brother-in-law. Kazuhiko groaned to himself, got up and went into the bedroom.

"Emotionally," Natsume smirked, and couldn't help himself on what he said next. "Well, Louis is not the only one who´s not feeling good at the moment."

Kazuhiko frowned. "Oh?"

"She´s been crying, you know, and from what I´ve heard, since you and Louis left."

"That´s hardly my fault, Natsume-san. I didn't do anything."

Those calm, offhand yet honest words pulled Natsume´s anger up again.

"I don't know you personally, but I never thought you´d be so cruel and unscrupulous," he said through gritted teeth. Without speaking to any of his brothers, Natsume made his way up to the terrace… with Iori and Subaru in tow.

Kazuhiko went speechless for a minute. Cruel? Unscrupulous? From someone he only knew through his sister and boyfriend?

Too tired to begin a phone fight, all he managed was to snap, "And why, pray tell, am I selfish and unscrupulous?"

"You are dating my brother and yet you've involved yourself with her up to the point in which she cries because of you. Do you know how hard it is for us all to see her that way? We love her, and it´s unbearable to see her suffer."

"It´s not my fault," Kazuhiko repeated. His tone was angry but firm. "I have never encouraged her to get close to me. I am dating Louis, Natsume-san, and I love him. I don't care for anybody else." Gosh, he was tired of saying it time and time again. Why was he explaining himself to Natsume anyway? The only one whose opinion mattered was Louis, and so far…

"You´re a coward!"

The sudden boom of Subaru´s voice in his ear made him take the phone away from his ear. He stared at it, then pressed it to his ear again.

"I´m not a coward!" he retorted angrily.

"Yes you are. You provoked her, you wound her up and then you ran off with Louis-nii. Furthermore, you have no intention of taking responsibility for…"

"Responsibility for what?! I didn't do anything!"

"Liar!"

"Jerk!"

As the name calling continued between the two men, back at the Asahina terrace Natsume and Iori tried to wrestle the phone away from their brother. Subaru kept on accusing and even threatening Kazuhiko and the brunette kept on challenging him and accusing of being a moron as well.

Finally, Natsume managed to take back the phone.

"Akiyama-otouto?" he heaved into it as he kept Subaru away with his body.

Kazuhiko swallowed the insult that had been about to pop out. "What?" he muttered, running a hand through his hair and reprimanding himself for acting like a child on a stupid phone.

"Going back to the subject… we only wanted to make sure Louis was okay… and to let you know we don't appreciate in the least your messing with her."

¡Oh, for heaven´s sake!

Kazuhiko took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Louis is fine, Natsume-san, and if he isn't I´ll help him get fine. Because that's what you do when you love someone, you´re there for them when their family becomes a bother, you support them in their time of need, and maybe that´s what you should do, since you all claim you love the Hinata girl," he said through gritted teeth.

Natsume went silent.

Kazuhiko kept going. "And I don't care whether you all hate me. I just don't because Louis is the only one who matters to me. If you want kill me or something stupid _go right ahead_. Knock yourselves out, just leave Louis out of it. Show some common sense and comprehension at least to your own brother."

He was about to hang up when there was some shuffling. A calm voice came on the phone.

"Kazuhiko-nii-san?"

The brunette froze.

Iori chuckled. "You don't mind if I call you that, do you? I mean, since you´re Louis-nii´s boyfriend."

After having fought? with Natsume and Subaru, this sudden gentle voice felt like whiplash.

"Who is this?" he asked.

"This is Iori, Kazuhiko-nii-san. I stole Natsume-nii-san´s phone for a few seconds. Please let Louis-nii know I´m home for Christmas already, and tell him I´ve already spoken to Masaomi-nii-san."

"… Okay."

"And also tell him I´m here to support both of you. If you make Louis-nii happy, and if you love him… I hope you can both work out this big Asahina mess. If I can help, let me know. Try not to bolt, yes? Our family is crazy, I´m afraid."

The brunette smirked. "Um, yes, Iori-kun. I appreciate it very much. Thank you."

"Nothing to thank. Also, I understand Louis-nii has turned his phone off, probably to stay the hell away from us?"

"He did, yeah."

"We won´t bother him, but do you think you can give me your cell number?"

Kazuhiko inhaled.

Iori went on. "I won´t give the number to anyone but Masaomi-nii-san and myself, I swear. It´s just in case we want to see how Louis-nii is doing and so we won´t bother your… sister, I think? Because you are talking on her phone."

How old was Iori anyway? He sounded classy and like an adult… completely different from Subaru. He even sounded like someone you could trust, which is why Kazuhiko said, "Of course. Write it down, but please keep it to yourself… and of course give it to Masaomi-san."

"I promise." After Iori had stored it in his phone he said, "Uh-oh. Natsume-nii-san found me. It was nice to meet you, Kazuhiko-nii-san, goodbye!"

The brunette was about to reply when Natsume´s voice came back on. He was yelling for Iori to get back.

Not wanting to talk to him anymore, Kazuhiko hung up.

He went into the rec room cool as a cucumber, where he found Louis sitting on a stool, Ryoko across from him. They were both chatting quietly.

The female brunette glanced up. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Kazuhiko sighed. "For now. Iori-kun sends his regards, by the way."

Louis´s head snapped up. "Iori-kun is home?"

"Yes. He wanted me to tell you he already talked to Masaomi-san and that he supports us."

His lips quirked. "Of course. I would expect nothing less of him."

"Are you two close?"

"I suppose. His favorite brother is Kaname-nii-san. They are very similar, though Iori-kun is much more mature than him."

"Hmm. No surprise then." Kazuhiko handed back the phone. "Thanks, nee-san."

"Of course." Ryoko looked like she wanted to ask a gazillion questions, but from the way her brother glanced at Louis, she felt it wasn't the right moment.

"I… I will go back downstairs. See you tomorrow," she mumbled, and in a very un-Ryoko manner, she slipped out of the room.

Louis glanced at Kazuhiko when they were alone. He stood up… and suddenly found himself pressed against the brunette´s chest.

He blinked, but he returned the hug. "Kaz?" he said, tone soft.

"Your family is mad," Kazuhiko replied with a small laugh.

"And you've just realized it?"

"No, but I hadn't grasped that what makes them go mad is the girl. Because of her your brothers are all acting like teenage boys."

The redhead sighed. "I know," he said sounding tired. .

Kazuhiko tilted his head to the side to find Louis´s lips. He kissed him deeply, slowly. His tongue found Louis´s, and the latter pulled away.

"You´re not going to distract me with kisses," he chastised, and stared at the caramel brown orbs.

Kazuhiko gave a slight smile. "I´m not trying to distract. I´m trying to comfort myself."

"The call went so bad?"

"Let´s say I met Natsume-san, Subaru and I had another fight, Iori-kun was an angel all I´ll stay out of the Asahinas hair the most I can. I don't want to deal with the problems she creates anymore."

Louis closed his eyes. "I trusted her, you know. She really was like a sister to me."

"I can imagine." Kazuhiko kissed him again, then leaned their foreheads together. "Would it be hypocritical of me to ask you for an Asahina-free weekend starting right now?"

"None at all. It would be fair."

"Thank you. Let´s go back to the couch. I´m tired." And all he wanted was to hold Louis until he could sleep.

They went back outside. There was a big awkward moment as they both stared at the couch and neither of them knew what to do next.

In the end, it was Luis who gave Kazuhiko a slight push forward.

"I´ll stay on the outer corner," he said.

Flushed and five minutes later, Louis was sliding against his body on the couch. It was wider than the other one, so they both fit rather well… on their sides.

"I don't want you to fall off the couch," Kazuhiko mumbled as Louis pulled the covers over both of them before nestling their heads close.

"As long as you don't push me I´ll be fine."

The brunette stared at the mauve orbs. "I won´t take any chances." And so he slid his arms around Louis´s bare waist and held on.

The redhead laughed. "Tease," he said, let his cheek rest against Kazuhiko´s collarbone and closed his eyes again. His fingers wound Kazuhiko´s shirt.

"I´ve never slept in the same bed with someone else before. Though big, the Asahina family was never much for puppy piles," he said.

Kazuhiko began stroking his boyfriend´s side. "Meaning?"

"It´s a new experience for me, and it´s been enjoyable so far. Try not to push us both out of the couch. Good night, Kaz."

"Good night, Louis." He closed his eyes and let the day´s events slip out of his system. He was here with Louis right now, and he was going to make of it the most he could.

**To be continued…**


	21. Chapter 21: And Then

Hello! Blake here delivering chapter twenty-one. I guess from now on I´ll be uploading once every two weeks… if I´m lucky with time and inspiration. XD Pray for me and stick with me, hahaha (?). As always, thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoy it!

**Chapter 21: And Then…**

Juli´s bushy brow was knotted above his eyes in a very uncomfortable position. Ema hadn't thought it was possible to frown so much until he´d seen him, and the gesture showed how very mad he was.

"Juli," she said.

"Chi," the squirrel replied, but didn't look at her.

"Are you mad at me?" she tried next.

"No. I could never get mad at you."

"But you haven't spoken to me in almost an hour, and you've been glaring at the door the whole time. What´s w

rong?"

The big button set on her face. "The truth?" he asked.

"Yes, Juli. Please."

"Alright. I´m not mad, Chi, I´m disappointed."

She paled. The words were an eerie echo of Masaomi´s earlier today, and it scared her.

"Disappointed of me?" she whispered, and brought her hands to cover her mouth.

Juli sighed, then ran around the room a couple of times. He wanted to scratch someone, or run outside, but he couldn't. Chi needed him now, even though he disapproved of her at the moment.

"Yes," he said finally, and his whiskers dropped. "I´m disappointed of you, Chi, and of everyone else in this house… except for Masaomi."

"But I didn't mean…"

"I know you didn't mean to cause so much trouble, but let´s face it, Chi. What you did was wrong. You knew the caramel boy was dating Louis, and yet you tried to make a move on him."

Her cheeks turned red. "I couldn't help it. Kazuhiko-san…"

"I also know you like the guy, and I can´t say anything against him because he is an idiot but he´s a decent person. It´s understandable that you developed feelings for him, but I say again… he´s dating Louis, and Louis si your brother. The best in this jungle."

Ema bit her bottom lip. Even though in the back of her mind she knew Juli was right, at the moment she felt attacked.

"not you too, Juli. Masaomi-san is already mad at me. I don't want you to be angry as well."

"I already said I´m not angry, just disappointed, and I´m sure Masaomi feels the same. Except in his case is worse because he has to deal with all the animals in this house."

"I didn't mean to."

"I know." Juli sighed. "Have you tried calling Louis again?"

She shook her head. She´d tried as soon as she´d fled to her room the afternoon, she´d tried after Subaru and Yuusuke had left her alone, had tried even when she heard Natsume screaming something on the terrace… but Louis hadn't answered. Guilt had settled like a heavy rock on her stomach, because she knew… willingly or not, she´d let Louis down in more ways than one.

"He probably won´t talk to me ever again," she whispered, and could feel the tears coming. Darn, it was the umpteenth time she cried, but she couldn't help it. She was frustrated, she was sad, she felt guilty and yet she wanted to see Kazuhiko again.

"I´m such an idiot," she said, and then began sobbing.

Juli sighed one more time, rode up to her shoulder and hugged her head.

"Everything´s going to be alright, Chi, everything will be fine," he muttered over and over, knowing it was useless but unable to stay quiet.

Ema eventually fell asleep a bit after ten.

And just a bit after ten, Masaomi was leaning on the balcony frame of his room. He was staring up at the dark sky, feeling the chilly winter air against his cheeks, his phone against his ear.

Iori had come not long ago, announcing he had Kazuhiko´s number, but also announcing the brunette had agreed to give him the number on the condition only Masaomi and him were allowed to have it.

Masaomi understood why. The Akiyama boy was tired and fed up with the Asahina family. The poor guy was most likely dealing with a very confused and hurt Louis at the time, and it made sense that he wouldn't want his number shared among all the family. He didn't want to be molested by Subaru… and the others.

After having stored the number in his own phone, Masaomi had stared at it for nearly an hour. He fought an inner battle. Call or not call Akiyama-san and ask to talk to Louis. He wanted to call because his fatherly and brotherly instincts urged him too, but those instincts also told him Louis was an adult and that he was in good hands. The couple could dig themselves out of the new hole. He tried to convince himself of it… but in the end called.

Two, three, four rings. When the fifth came, he was about to hang up, but a rustle came on the other side, followed by a thick voice.

"Yes."

"Akiyama-san. It´s me."

"… Masaomi-san?"

"Yes. I know it´s kind of late, but I felt like I had to call and…"

"No, no, no, it´s okay." There was some rustling and some muttered dialogue he couldn't make out.

"Were you sleeping already?" Masaomi ventured.

Kazuhiko laughed. "The truth? Yeah."

"With Louis?"

"Um… not in the sense you might think. We both fell asleep on the couch watching TV," which okay, was a huge lie, but it was a white one… or so he thought.

Masaomi gave a thoughtful hum. "Is Louis there with you?"

"Yes."

"Do you think he´d want to talk to me? Iori said he hadn't wanted to speak to any of them, but maybe I´m the exception."

"You´re always the exception, and the salvation," Kazuhiko admitted, then muttered something unintelligible again.

After a few heartbeats, Louis´s sleepy voice was heard over the speaker.

"Masaomi-nii-san?"

"Hello."

"Hi. Are you feeling okay?"

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

"I´m working on getting fine, but you´re in the middle of the battlefield, and you didn't look well when Kazuhiko and I left."

The eldest chuckled. "I´ve kept away from them all to calm down."

"You should. If you lose your nerve, the Asahina family is doomed."

"Iori said the same thing a little while ago." He ran a hand through his short hair. "I hear you´re not answering you phone?"

"No. I´ve turned it off and don't plan to turn it back on until we´re back in Tokyo. Should anything come up, you can call Kazuhiko. His phone is always on, and he always answers."

"Personal experience?"

"Confidence and trust, more like it."

Masaomi smiled. It was great to hear just how those two managed to make it work, but more important: it was nice to hear Louis had someone he could trust and rely on. Louis had always kept to himself, had always been independent, but Masaomi was happy he´d found someone to share his life with.

"Masaomi-nii-san?"

The voice made his head jerk. "Ah, sorry. Got distracted for a second here."

"I noticed." Louis yawned. The eldest took it as a cue to leave.

"Anyway, I only wanted to check up on you. Go back to sleep with Akiyama-san."

"Masaomi-nii-san!" Louis sounded offended.

He laughed. "I haven't heard you whine since you were like eight."

"I´m not whining."

"Yes you are, but it doesn't matter. Have a good trip, Louis. Good night."

"… Good night, nii-san."

Masaomi smiled. Louis hadn't called him such a short name since he was eight either. It was nostalgic.

The both hung up, and the eldest stared up at the sky again. "It doesn't matter what happens here. Louis is truly happy for the first time in over a decade. I´m going to support him as much as I can," he said to the air.

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

The morning sunlight woke him up. Since he was a light sleeper, as soon as his brain started working he couldn't close his eyes again.

Kazuhiko blinked up at the ceiling, then gave a sideways glance. Louis´s sleeping face blocked his line of sight, and he was about do something silly when his went off.

He grabbed it as fast as he could from where he´d stashed it yesterday night after Masaomi had called. Not wanting to wake Louis up, he hit the screen without looking.

"H—" he began, but stopped when he saw it was just a text.

Frowning, he read it.

_[Isao just started making breakfast. Come down when you feel like it. I´m SO not going to fetch you boys from upstairs.]_

"Good morning to you as well, nee-san," he muttered, and looked at the phone´s clock. Seven thirteen.

He glanced at Louis again. He´d managed to hold the redhead all through the night, and now his right arm was serving as Louis´s pillows. It was an adorable sight.

For Kazuhiko, it was sort of a new experience. Though he´d spent the night with various girls before, he´d never quite woken up… without having had sex the night before. Waking up after a night of rather innocent cuddling and holding made his insides flutter. Did the night on the couch at his apartment count? No, because around midnight he´d gone to his own room and left Louis alone.

With a smirk, he managed to withdraw his arm from under Louis´s head and slide out of the couch with the latter doing nothing more but stir.

He padded into the bedroom to change into a long-sleeved green shirt and black pants. He then slid past the living room, into the bathroom and then down into the kitchen.

"Good morning," he called.

Isao looked up from the eggs he was scrambling. "Good morning, Kazuhiko-kun," he replied with a smile.

"Morning, Kaz," Ryoko called, from where she was putting groceries into the fridge.

"What can I do to help?"

"If you could whip up a fruit salad it would be great. I feel like having some strawberries with honey or Nutella." She stuck her head out of the fridge, frowned. "Where is Louis-san?"

"He´s a heavy and late sleeper," Kazuhiko replied with a distracted shrug, then frowned. "And why do I have to make a fruit salad just because you want a strawberry?"

"Just roll with it for now, Kazuhiko-kun. I don't want her throwing a tantrum first thing in the morning," Isao said.

The brunette sighed, the went for the huge fruit bowl on one of the counters.

"Oh, wait a minute." Ryoko walked over to him and tapped his cheek. "You´re bruised. Did you look at your wounds yesterday?"

"Um, no, but I´m fine."

"Like hell you´re fine. You really look like you got hit." She tried to touch his way, but he jerked away.

"Don't start. Louis tried yesterday as well, but it doesn't hurt and I´m fine."

"I don't care if it hurts you or not! It looks hideous, you need to cover it up!"

His mouth dropped open. "Oh."

"Come with me. I´ll try to fix you up." Without waiting for an answer, she dragged him to the downstairs bathroom.

Isao watched the two of them go with a laugh. He went back to his scrambled eggs and was about to put them in plates when footsteps came from the stairs.

"Good morning," he heard a hesitant voice call.

Isao turned around again. "Good morning, Louis-san," he greeted.

The redhead gave a shy smile, then glanced around. He shoved his hands into his pants pockets. "Um…"

"Ryo-chan took Kazuhiko-kun into the bathroom to try to conceal his wound. She said it looked hideous."

"I see." Louis chuckled, then eyed the stove. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Can you cook?

"If I have to."

"Hmm. I´ve heard that line before." Isao nodded towards the coffeemaker. "Why don't you pour the coffee instead?"

"Yes, sir." Louis rummaged around the cabinets until he found the cups, then asked how Isao and Ryoko took their coffee.

By the time the Akiyama siblings came back, breakfast was served and Isao was telling Louis about how he was born grew up in Shizuoka until his junior year in college.

"So good to see you two getting along!" Ryoko cried, clapping her hands.

"Louis-san is a very curious person," Isao said, and winked to indicate he was just kidding.

The redhead scratched the back of his head, then glanced at the Akiyamas. "Good morning, Ryoko-san, Kazuhiko," he said.

"Well, this is a miracle," Kazuhiko replied with a grin. "Look who´s awake so early on the morning."

The redhead ignored the comment, stared at Kazuhiko´s face. A gauze had been taped to his cheek and hid one corner of his eye and lips.

"I´m glad you decided to tend your wound," he said.

The brunette snorted. "She tricked me," he accused, and pointed at Ryoko. "She said she was going to cover it up and she ended up covering my face and ended up covering me with gauze."

"It was for your own good," Ryoko said.

Kazuhiko made a face. Louis rolled his eyes and walked closer. "It doesn't look bad," he said.

"It doesn't?"

"No."

"… You´re lying to me, Louis."

"Maybe, but don't take it off anyway."

The brunette frowned at him. "I don't want to walk around Shizuoka with this on my face all day."

"Are we going somewhere?"

Ryoko and Kazuhiko exchanged glances, then the latter cleared his throat. "Let´s straighten out today´s plan over breakfast," he said, and took his seat.

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

For the fourth time in the past five minutes, Kazuhiko´s hand rose of its own volition to touch the gauze on his cheek. He fingered the upper edge, then let his hand drop back to his side.

Louis tsked at him. "You should stop fidgeting with the gauze."

"I can´t. People keep staring at me."

"Since you keep touching it they can´t help it. If you let it be people won´t pay attention."

Kazuhiko´s hand rose. He wrinkled his nose and lowered it. "It´s uncomfortable," he said.

Louis raised an eyebrow. "You act awfully childish sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah. That's what I´ve been told." He looked over his shoulder. "So, what do you think of the Shizuoka tour so far?"

"You´re a good guide when you´re not picking at the gauze."

"Ha, ha." He narrowed his eyes at Louis´s calm expression. "Are you having fun? Because if you don't like walking around we can go somewhere else. I can take you to the local aquarium if you want."

Mauve eyes went wide. "Why the offer?"

"You've been quiet and impassive most of the time. I thought maybe you´d like to be in another place doing another thing."

"What? No, not in the least. I´ve been enjoying our time alone is all. Like I told you, I´ve come to appreciate it very much, and just walking around the city with you…" The redhead shrugged. "It´s been a great day, only the two of us, and since you´re the one who knows his way around, I don't have much to say."

"So I´m not boring you?"

"Of course not. You´re never boring."

Kazuhiko couldn't help it; he stopped walking and leaned in to kiss Louis, street or not, gauze or not. When they pulled back, he beamed.

"I don't know whether you plan and edit in your head before you say such things, but I don't care. I love hearing speak so openly to me."

Louis was a little surprised, then he laughed and shook his head. "You´re such a tease, Kaz, I swear," he murmured.

The brunette didn't reply, only resumed his walking. "We have time to visit another place before we have to meet Ryoko and Isao-san for dinner. Where would you like to go?"

"Dinner already? Wow, I didn't know it was so late already. I guess time does fly by when you´re having phone," Louis said in a thoughtful tone, then he shrugged. "Isn´t there some old places we can go visit? For history and stuff?"

"An old church is a few blocks away. We have enough time. And then…"

"And then?"

"It´s dinner time with Isao-san´s family."

Oh, right, Louis had forgotten about that tiny, little, to-end-the-day detail.

**To be continued…**


	22. Chapter 22: Vulnerability

Hello! As I (sort of) promised, I come to deliver the next chapter after two weeks. Beforehand I tell you… this chapter´s got lots of new names and quite a few new OCs which I hope you don't hate. Plus, I got the jitters with this one, and I´m not completely sure how I´ll proceed from here on, but I hope you enjoy this one. As always, thanks for reading! :3

**Chapter 22: Vulnerability**

For the second time in two days, Louis stared at a humongous house, his mind a mess. Back at the Akiyama country house his mind had been full of thoughts about how his boyfriend was rich and powerful, and also dumb happy remarks about how lucky he was to have such a partner. This time, however, his mind was set on how this traditional Japanese-style house was huge, very homey but he had no reason at all to be there.

"Kaz," he said.

The brunette turned to him. "Yes."

"I know I´ve been staring at this place for the last five minutes and you've been waiting for me to take a step forward… but… should I be here?"

Caramel eyes turned confused. "Huh?"

Louis sighed. "This is Ryoko-san´s in-laws´ house. _Ryoko-san´s. _Not… not yours and not mine. I have no right to be here."

"But you´re family now."

His cheeks flushed, not a lot, but enough to be visible. "I mean," he said, tone soft, "that to Isao-san´s family I´m just their sister-in-law´s younger brother´s boyfriend. I really don't think I should be here."

"Oh, come on. The Fujiwaras are a great family… except for the mother and younger sister; they´re hell on wheels. Isao-san´s father, his two older brothers and sister are a lot like him, though."

"Still, I don't think…"

"Kazuhiko!"

They both turned at the sound of the old, raspy voice. A man in his sixties came out of the house, with a fortyish man behind him. Isao´s father and one of his older brothers.

"Ah, Fujiwara-san… and Fujiwara-san," Kazuhiko greeted.

The fortyish man, who had Isao´s hair color but deep grey eyes instead of green said, "Hideaki is fine, Kazuhiko. I thought I´d made that clear back at the rehearse dinner."

"…Right. Hello, Fujiwara-san, Hideaki-san."

"Hello," the old man said, and Louis could see in him an older version of Isao and Hideaki, same affable expression and the remnants of black hair. He looked at Louis. "Ryoko-chan said you would be bringing your boyfriend along. Is this him, the Louis we´ve heard about?"

The redhead froze. His mouth dropped to the floor He stared at the old man for a good two minutes, and then Hideaki said, "Don't look so surprised, kiddo. Isao and Ryoko called beforehand to prepare us for this."

"Isao-san… did?" Kazuhiko asked, surprised.

"You´ve become his little brother as well, and he didn't want to risk any of us being rude to you or your boyfriend."

"Why did he want Louis and I here in the first place?"

"It appears he wants to give us some good news, and he wanted the whole family present, no exceptions." Hideaki stepped forward. "So let´s meet the new non-official member of the Akiyama family. I´m Fujiwara Hideaki, Isao´s oldest brother."

Louis stared, then Ukyo´s voice rang in his head. _'Be polite, no matter what! Never forget your manners!'_

"Nice to meet you. I´m Asahina Louis," he said, and bowed.

"And I´m Fujiwara Masaru, Isao´s father," the old man said.

"It´s a pleasure to meet you too, sir. Thank you for having us tonight." The words flew out of his mouth before he even thought about them. He was talking to his elders after all, and if he´d learned something from Masaomi and even Ukyo was you had to respect those older than you.

… Good grief, what was he now, an etiquette book?

"Oh, quite the polite boy, huh? I like it." Masaru gave Louis Isao´s friendly smile. "Welcome to our house. Ryoko-chan has been telling us about you and how you've made Kazuhiko happy. Please come on inside. Isao and Ryoko-chan are waiting already."

Louis, not very comfortable, glanced at Kazuhiko, who shrugged and followed Masaru.

"We don't bite, Louis, and we don't judge either," Hideaki told him, and gave a wink before falling into step behind the other two.

Having no choices left, Louis trooped into the house. He found himself at a loss as soon as he set foot in it. He´d never been in a pure Japanese-style house before. It was beautiful, he couldn't deny it, but he felt as if he stepped to hard he was going to tear through the delicate-looking walls and doors.

"Nice, isn't it?" Kazuhiko murmured as he ditched his shoes and began padding around what appeared to be a living room on socked feet.

"It´s beautiful," Louis corrected as he did the same. He flinched as he grabbed the edge of a sliding door. "As beautiful and as fragile as rice paper."

"Oh, it´s much more sturdy than rice paper," Hideaki assured the young couple. "But come see the rest for yourselves. Everyone is waiting in the kitchen."

They followed Isao´s brother –where had his father gone? – and stepped into the low, wide kitchen. There sat Ryoko, Isao, a redheaded woman and two kids.

"Kaz! Louis-san! Hello!" Ryoko cried, rushing from her spot on a chair to greet them both.

"Nee-san," Kazuhiko replied, just as Louis murmured a greeting. He turned to face the women and kids. He smiled. "Akane-san?"

"Kazuhiko-kun." The redhead smiled. "It´s nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you too. Hello, Daichi-chan, Kaori-chan."

The kids stared at him, then looked at their mother.

"He´s Ryoko-san´s brother. He was at the wedding, remember?"

Neither did, so they shook their heads but waved anyway.

Louis, feeling terribly out of place, took a step back… only to have his arm gripped by Isao, who´d materialized at his side.

"Louis-san, these is my sister-in-law; Akane, my nephew Daichi and my niece Kaori. They´re Hideaki-nii´s family."

He nodded, and at the same time he thought: why was he being told all this? He had no place in this nest of… of sweetness and love and way too many names and suffixes to remember. It almost felt like he was being introduced to the Asahina fam…

He let out a gasp as soon as he had the thought. Though his expression betrayed nothing, his complexion was a different story, and Kazuhiko was able to see how he paled.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

The redhead swallowed, nodded way too fast. "Sure, sure, it´s just… a bit… overwhelming to…"

"Meet so many family members?"

"Um… yes. I´d never been on the other side, if you know what I mean."

"I can imagine." The brunette gave him a sympathetic glance.

The two married couples stared at them both, and then Hideaki said in a rather amazed voice, "May I ask a personal question?"

Kazuhiko blinked at him, his eyes turning from sweet to cautious. "Depends."

"Nothing embarrassing, I assure you. Just, have long have you boys known each other?"

"Oh. Um… like ten months, I guess."

"And you've been dating for?"

"Four."

"Just four?" Louis piped up, looking surprised.

Kazuhiko frowned. "I think so. We´d just made it official when I graduated."

"It… it feels much longer than that."

"Given what you just did, it´s to be expected," Hideaki said, and when both young men looked even more disoriented Akane said, "He means given how the two of you appear to connect with each other… you guys must really be in love."

_That was it. _

"I´m… uh, stepping outside for a bit. I… need… a walk," Louis mumbled almost too fast for anyone to understand. He glanced around the room, gave a small smile and hurried out of the kitchen.

Kazuhiko turned around almost as if it were a reflex. Isao grabbed his arm liked he´d grabbed Louis´s before.

The brunette frowned at him.

"Louis-san isn't a woman," Isao said.

"What? No, of course not. I know he isn't."

"Then you don't need to go after him. I think unlike women, when we men want time alone we mean it. "

Kazuhiko glanced at Ryoko. "You do know she´s right there, right?"

"And I´m aware I´m risking murder by my beautiful wife as well, but I think you need to grasp once and for all the fact you don't have to do everything you´ve done until know with your partners."

He must have looked lost –there was a lot of that going on lately– because Hideaki said, "Isao means it´s easier to date a man because we´re not as touchy and sentimental as women… no offense, Aka-chan," he added, throwing his wife an amused glance. The redhead laughed.

The kids stared at them. "What are you all talking about?" Daichi asked, eyes round and curious.

The amusement vanished. Now aware of the kids in the room, Hideaki decided to take them to the living room in case other weird talk arose. Isao went with them, and though Kazuhiko tried to flee as well he found himself being held back by both Ryoko and Akane.

"I should…" he began.

"No, you shouldn't," Ryoko said.

"But…"

"You heard Hideaki and Isao-san," Akane said, and smiled. "Your partner is not a woman, and no matter what, men are all the same in the end. Leave him alone."

Faced by two women he knew were not women but hidden viragos… he had no choice left but to let Louis be.

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

Louis was back where he´d been five minutes ago: in front of the house. The difference this time was he wasn't staring at the building but the ground as he tried to even his breathing and cool his head.

He didn't know why he felt so overwhelmed, so tired and so frustrated. Maybe he´d been feeling it the whole day, but it wasn't until he had to meet so many new friendly family members that the emotion filled up the front of his head. To be honest with himself… it hurt. He´d always thought his family was as nice as the Akiyamas and now the Fujiwaras, but he didn't know anymore. After the betrayal? he´d gone through the image of the Asahina family fell for him, and as much as he tried to forgive all of it, as much as he did try to forget it he couldn't.

He gave a sharp laugh. He was hurt? God, yes he was, and part of him didn't think he should be. The other part however…

He couldn't do this.

Gulping, he went back inside. He managed to slip past the Fujiwara brothers and kids straight into the kitchen, where Ryoko and Akane were talking to Kazuhiko about his gauze-covered cheek and stupid fights.

"Excuse me," he said.

The three of them looked at him. "Louis-san," Ryoko said. "Are you okay?"

"Um, to be honest, Ryoko-san, I´m not okay." He gulped, then shook his head. "I´m afraid I have to leave."

Silence, and then the Akiyama siblings said, "Huh?"

"It´s nothing personal," he rushed on to say, "on the contrary. I´ve just met the Fujiwaras and I can see how wonderful they are already, but that's exactly why I can´t stay." He rubbed the back of his head and looked down. "I can´t deal with family right now, Ryoko-san."

The brunette´s face scrunched up in confusion, but then her expression dawned with understanding.

"Oh, of course! I understand! I´m sorry, Louis-san, I thought that maybe seeing another wonderful would…"

"No, don't apologize. I´m the one who has to say sorry to everyone here. It´s my own fault, but please do enjoy your dinner. You have incredible news to share after all." He gave a weak smile and bowed. "I´m so sorry, Ryoko-san. Akane-san, it was nice to meet you, and please forgive me."

He zoomed out of the kitchen and straight into the living room, where he gave a more general explanation about his departure and even longer, more formal apologies.

He felt he was missing something, and he didn't realize it until Kazuhiko said, "Where do you plan to go?"

He jumped, and turned to look at the brunette, who stood on the house´s doorstep with his arms crossed.

"Oh. I´m going… back to your house, I guess," he said.

"And how are you going in?"

"Can I have your keys?"

Kazuhiko frowned harder, then stomped over to the redhead. "Your head is too far away," he said.

"I know, and I´m sorry, but…"

"No buts. Let´s go home."

"… Aren´t you going to stay with your sister?" Louis asked.

"It depends," Kazuhiko replied.

"On?"

"On where am I going to be more useful. Do I stay here so you can bury yourself in a hole or do I go with you to try to cheer you up?"

"You don't have to do the latter."

"Maybe I want to." Caramel brown eyes turned molten. "Maybe I want to comfort you, but maybe you don't need me to." He shrugged. "I just don't know."

The redhead stared at him long and hard enough Kazuhiko began thinking he´d blown the whole situation, but the Louis stepped forward… and then pinched his healthy cheek.

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?" he said, taking a step back, eyes wide.

Louis kept on staring. "I wanted to make sure you were real," he said.

"You didn't have to pinch me. You know I´m real."

"The mere fact is starting to sink in." A bashful duck of the head. "Look, I appreciate your offer, but you can stay here. I don't mind going back to your country house alone."

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow. "Right."

"I mean it."

"Uh-huh. Look me in the eye and tell me you want me to stay."

Louis tried. He did try, and he did it three times, but in the end he couldn't managed to both say it and meet his eyes at the same time.

"Off we go, then, Louis. I already said goodbye, so let´s leave."

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

"How does it look?"

"Better, I suppose, but you still look like you got hit."

"I did get hit, remember?"

"I´d rather forget." Louis grabbed the bag of gauze and alcohol pads he´d used to clean Kazuhiko´s face and went to throw it into the trash. He washed his hands before returning to the first floor´s living room. He sat down on the sofa, grabbed the brunette´s face between his hands and tilted the head to the sides with slow and gentle movements.

"Is our appointment over, Asahina-sensei?" Kazuhiko asked, amused.

"For now, yes, but don't cover it up again. Even closed wounds heal faster if they´re exposed to fresh air, Akiyama-kun," Louis mumbled with a slight smile. He began to lower his hands, but another pair landed on top.

"Look at you. We´ve been back at the house for about twenty minutes and you´re already smiling at me again. It´s good to see you´re feeling better," the brunette said, and leaned in to catch his boyfriend´s lips.

Louis rolled his eyes, then returned the kiss.

"I think solitude and privacy help," he whispered.

"So I see, but you don't want to be completely alone, do you?"

"I will not say what you want me to say. It´s not like you´re not aware of how and what I feel."

"Nope. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." Kazuhiko chuckled. "Besides, it´s not like I mind being alone with you."

"I´ve noticed." Louis tilted his head for another kiss, which the brunette gave more than willing before wrapping his arms around Louis and squeezing him tight.

"Hey, hey, I´m not a stuffed toy," Louis protested, trying his best not to smile and bat the other hands away from his body.

"Yes you are. Sort of. Not really, but still. I mean, you´re not plushy or round or anything, but you´re soft." _And oh so warm…_

So freaking warm. Kazuhiko suspected Louis had a higher body temperature than most due to how fast he cooled down. Maybe it had to do with some sensitivity-genetic thing, or maybe it was a habit he´d picked up along his sweater-covered life. Then again, maybe Kazuhiko was making a big deal out of nothing and he only thought Louis was warmer than everyone he knew.

It didn't matter in the end, not to him.

Curiosity taking over, his lips slid away from Louis´s mouth to his jaw, where he left some soft and quick kisses. His mouth slid lower, lower, until he found the long, _warm_ neck…

So freaking cozy…

His lips grazed the pale skin. He closed his eyes and rubbed his cheek against it, then went back to pecking. His movements were slow, experimental, loving. When he felt the quickened pulse beat against his throat he stopped, just to perceive one thump after another.

"What are you doing?" Louis murmured, somewhat surprised and also curious as to what was going on. One of his hands tangled itself up into the crown of brown hair.

"I´m not sure," the brunette replied, and smiled without raising his head. "I guess I´m experimenting. Kick me as hard as you can wherever you can reach if you want me to stop."

Before Louis could reply, Kazuhiko´s hands cupped his sides, and pushed forward. He ended up with his back on the couch, staring at bright brown eyes and a huge smile.

"Experimenting?" he said, and felt a chill up his spine, but not a bad one. He wasn't an idiot. Even he could read between the lines.

"I guess it´s bad timing, but it´s your own fault for being so damn warm and vulnerable right now." Kazuhiko´s gaze softened. "This is going to sound stupid and you´ll give me grief for the rest of my life… but how about we experiment together?"

**To be continued…**


	23. Chapter 23: Mother Hen

**Chapter 23: Mother Hen**

Louis was by no means naïve. Unexperienced and untried, yes, also shy, but no way in hell was he naïve. He´d heard enough about some of his brothers´ sex lives, had been given some serious talks by Masaomi, Ukyo and Kaname and had even heard Azusa and Tsubaki talking about some strange anime shows…

His thoughts were all but cut off when Kazuhiko´s hands slid under his sweater and shirt, rubbing his sides with long and gentle strokes. He jumped.

"Are you okay?" the brunette murmured, pecking his lips.

His insides fluttered. He wasn't naïve, but it didn't mean he felt at ease with what was going on and what would happen if he didn't kick the other guy off.

But why would he do such a violent thing?

"I´m surprised is all," Louis answered, his cheeks turning pink.

"Feel any need to kick me off?"

"I don't want to hurt you."

Kazuhiko chuckled. "Okay then," he whispered, and caught Louis´s lips between his as his hands kept on moving.

Feeling rather awkward, Louis wound one hand into the back of Kazuhiko´s nape, rested the other in cheek. He closed his eyes and let himself enjoy.

After realizing Louis really wasn't going to kick him off, Kazuhiko relaxed. His body draped over the redhead´s. He shifted his forearms to rest on both sides of Louis´s head.

"You´re kind of heavy," Louis breathed. He shifted under the extra weight: legs parting ever so slightly, arms now moving to circle Kazuhiko´s neck, whose eyes widened as their bodies adjusted almost as if they were puzzle pieces, hips meeting hips, chest meeting chest.

The redhead smiled. "Well, this is interesting," he said, then claimed another kiss.

Kazuhiko stopped being taken aback by Louis´s venturous attitude and went with it. He moved his lips over the other´s until he pulled back to catch some air. He stared at Louis´s flushed cheeks, half-closed eyes, his swollen lips…

He groaned. "How can you look so freaking adorable? It´s not fair. I´ve never met someone as lovable as you."

"Not even a woman?"

"Let alone a woman. Some of them have been pretty, but you… I swear, you´re so sweet and endearing and handsome."

Louis snorted. "Are those compliments?"

"And they mean much more than the words themselves. I´m sorry, though. I´m not very good with this stuff." He kissed the redhead´s cheek and began nipping at his chin and neck.

Louis tilted head to the side. It tickled, but at the same time it made his stomach flutter again. Something began building up inside him, and only when he felt the light pressure of teeth against his skin did he allow himself to let out a soft moan.

He shifted again, his hands rising. He grabbed fistfuls of shirt, and he realized one thing.

"If we´re going to do this… aren't we supposed to take our clothes off?" he asked.

"If you want me to undress you can just say it," Kazuhiko mumbled.

The latter squirmed. He tightened his hold around the brunette´s neck. "Fine. Undress," he said softly, right into his boyfriend´s ear.

A shiver went through Kazuhiko´s body. "You´re mean," he muttered, but pulled away enough to yank both his jacket and shirt over his head and throw them to the floor.

Louis released him so he could do it, and when he was done he noticed two intense mauve orbs locked on his body.

He blushed.

"Oh, so now you blush." Louis gave a soft snort, then sat up and ran his hands with curiosity over Kazuhiko´s Watching a half-naked man wasn't strange to him. It fact, it was way too familiar. What with his thirteen brothers and all he was more than used to the male body.

This was different, though. He´d seen and or various reasons most of his brothers through the years –he´d helped bathe the younger ones for crying out loud– but he´d never touched anyone like this. He´d never been able to run his hands over all that skin, he´d never been able to squeeze another man´s shoulders like he was doing now, and he sure as hell hadn't rubbed anyone´s nipples between his fingertips.

"You don't look particularly surprised," Kazuhiko said, shuddering at the touch.

"The male body is no secret to me," he said.

"So I see, but you´re being mean again. Shouldn't you undress as well?"

"Should I?"

"Who´s being a tease now?" Kazuhiko leaned forward, gave Louis a brief kiss before taking off the sweater and long-sleeved shirt.

The redhead had barely undressed before he was shoved down onto the couch again, naked flesh against naked flesh this time.

"You´re almost surreal," the brunette muttered, and began showering him with sloppy kisses and gentle strokes. It wasn't the first time he saw Louis shirtless; hell, they´d slept together yesterday night, yet this time something had changed.

Caramel brown orbs devoured the slim and masculine figure, the pure skin, the pale nipples, the soft appearance…

His mouth moved out of its own volition. It kissed and bit along the redhead´s collarbone, feeling indeed how soft and warm the skin was, and it kept going until his lips found the flat pink nipple.

Louis gasped. His hands rose, but Kazuhiko grabbed the wrists and laid them against the couch.

"Don't. I´m not that familiar with another man´s body. I´ll explore," he said, then ran his tongue along the nub. Louis let out a small sound, and he did it again. Though it was the wrong moment to think about it, he couldn't stop himself from comparing a woman and a man´s chest. It was different, for more than the obvious reasons.

He continued to lick and even bit down, which made Louis let out another soft and tantalizing little moan. Kazuhiko smiled to himself, then moved on to the other nipple.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" he asked without stopping his nibbling.

Louis shifted under him. "You´re impossible," came the hoarse and breathy reply.

"Mmm. I just wondered." It wouldn't have really mattered, though. He was having too much fun and wouldn't have stopped even if the answer had been affirmative.

"Don't wonder."

I won´t. He closed his mouth over the nipple and sucked. The hands he was holding fought to get up, but he forced them back down. Not that he wouldn't enjoy it if Louis touched him, but he wanted to taste Louis first… all over.

By the time he felt satisfied with his partner´s chest Louis´s breath was fast, he kept squirming and his face was a lovely shade of red.

Kazuhiko fought the urge to climb back up and devour his lips. He wanted to kiss that slim mouth, wanted to drown out the sounds it produced, but at the same time he wanted more.

"Will you kick me if I go further?" he asked, resting his head on the taught stomach. His tongue flicked out to dip onto Louis´s bellybutton.

The redhead hissed. Once more he tried to draw back his hands, but he couldn't, so he settled for wiggling as much as he could, given how the brunette´s weight affected him.

"I will kick you if you stop there," Louis managed to say.

"Good." Kazuhiko slid lower, had to let go of Louis´s hands to place them on his jean-clad thighs. His eyes roamed curiously the other man´s hips, and he faltered when he saw the bulge under the jeans.

His throat went dry.

Okay, was he really going through with this? It´s not like he was a first-timer, but it was his first time with a man and…

_But it was Louis´s first time. In his life. First time. Ever. _

He shivered.

_Yep, we´re doing this. _

His hands hesitated for a few moments, then he took a deep breath and placed his fingers over the jeans´ buttons.

Louis jerked. He sat up, and his face was redder than before. "Kaz…" he began.

"Hush." With one hand, Kazuhiko pushed the redhead´s chest down. His other one kept on working with the buttons. He was nervous, but he appeared to be calm and sure of what he was about to do.

Louis on the other hand was a mass of nerves both on the inside of the outside. He couldn't yet believe he´d let his boyfriend practically lick him all over. And now if he…

He jumped when a pair of large yet nimble hands finally managed to lower the zipper. The realization of what was going on seemed to sink in, and he twisted his hips to the side. Or at least, he tried.

"Stay still," Kazuhiko commanded.

"But…"

"Hey, don't sound so scared." Those stupid huge eyes turned into warm and gentle caramel pools. "I´m not going to laugh or anything."

Louis´s flesh broke into goosebumps. He turned his head to the side and cursed under his breath, eyes closed. His face was so red he thought he was going to faint.

Kazuhiko laughed. "Okay, my bad, but come on. Trust me, please."

The brunette pushed at Louis´s legs until they were as they were before, and he was nestled between them. The jeans only needed to be pulled down, so that´s what he did, pulling the redhead´s briefs down as well. Of course, he didn't pull them all the way of, only lowered them to thigh level.

Louis almost died of embarrassment then. There Kazuhiko was, hands on his pants, gaze fixed on his… penis… and…

He groaned. Oh, he was regretting doing all this already!

The brunette wasn't. He couldn't take his eyes off the scene in front of him. Louis´s skin there was as pale as everywhere else, and below his bellybutton there were some crisp curls the same color as his hair that led to the long shaft, the red and swollen tip and the tight sacs below.

Would any of it feel soft to the mouth or as tight and hard as it looked?

He licked his lips. Did he feel disgust, embarrassment? No. He felt curious; he wanted to try to do what he´d had done various times before. He wanted to feel, to taste, and he wanted Louis to stop acting so _ashamed_. What was he ashamed of, anyway? He was beautiful all over.

"Kaz…" Louis tried again. The brunette ignored him and leaned forward. He had no experience whatsoever on this, not on the giving end as well, but he also wanted to try.

His mouth parted as his lips met the tip. He felt as his mouth opened and accommodated slowly, felt his tongue rub over tight but soft flesh, felt Louis shiver and heard his moan.

It was one of the most provocative sounds he´d ever heard.

A small sound came out of his own throat, and his mouth pulled out before repeating the process a few more times. Louis wiggled under him, but he rubbed soothing hands into his thighs before taking more of the redhead into his mouth.

There was a deeper, longer moan this time, and they kept coming as he kept on thrusting. He found the experience an interesting mix of sensations, which only increased when he let go of the redhead´s penis to trace his tongue over the sensible sacs under. He felt them moving, felt the difference in texture from what he´d been sucking on before. He also realized Louis became more restless when he paid attention to his testicles.

_Hmm. _

He slid one of the eggs into his mouth, suckled, and smiled to himself when he heard Louis cry out. He thought about using teeth, but figured it would be too much.

_It´s almost too much_, Louis´s brain screamed, as he did nothing but shift and cry out like some pathetic creature. He knew his face was still as red as a tomato, but gosh, he couldn't bring himself to do anything else. What Kazuhiko was doing was driving him crazy. He´d never been touched down there by anyone before, let alone sucked, and while it was a pleasurable experience it was overwhelming.

He was about to breathe in and ask the brunette to stop when the latter decided to take him back into his mouth, even deeper than before, swallowing him almost completely.

His mind got full of cotton. He bit his lower lip to keep from crying out, but small moans came anyway. His hips jerked of their own volition, and before he knew what he was doing he was thrusting into Kazuhiko´s mouth.

His hands grabbed fistfuls of couch. He tilted his head backwards. His body kept on moving, the rhythm growing every single second. His breath quickened, and he felt sweat sliding down his forehead because he couldn't quite believe how good it felt, and neither could he believe he was allowing himself to do it.

Oh, but damn it. It really felt _wonderful_.

The pressure he´d been feeling low on his belly was growing, and he felt as if he were about to explode. He wanted to explode, he wanted to relieve all the pressure, he wanted to…

His eyes jerked open when he felt Kazuhiko´s mouth slide away. He lifted his head, and found the brunette wiping at the corner of his mouth, a small smile on his face, his eyes almost incredulous.

"You´re close," Kazuhiko informed him, and climbed up his body until their faces were inches away from each other. Louis blushed when he saw a white spot in the very corner of his boyfriend´s lips.

He raised a shaking hind to wipe it off. Kazuhiko chuckled. "If I kiss you right now will you think I´m disgusting?"

"You´re not the one who´s disgusting here." He cleared his throat so he wouldn't sound so hoarse. "You´re being awfully careful with me, aren't you?"

"Mmm."

"Why?"

"Because I love you, and I want you to enjoy yourself." Their lips met, the kiss deep and sweet. Louis ventured his tongue into the other´s mouth and tasted something salty.

"Do I get a turn?" he whispered.

"Not today, no." Kazuhiko´s cheeks turned pink. "I don't think I can let you try that today. You have no idea the effect you´re having on me. You´re so damn responsive…" The brunette groaned, closed his eyes and shook his head. He spoke into Louis´s ear.

"Answer me this. Have you really never been with anyone else?"

"… No."

"And have you ever touched yourself?"

The redhead stopped breathing. He stopped moving, and then he tried to hide his face. It was enough answer.

Kazuhiko groaned again. That was a mental image he wanted to cling on to.

He kissed Louis, and shoved the pants and briefs down the rest of the way. The redhead did his best to kick them off, and then his hands rose to fidget with the brunette´s pants. They stopped kissing as Louis got rid of the clothes and pushed with all his might. Understanding, Kazuhiko shimmied out of the jeans and underwear. Louis tried to get his hands of him, but he grabbed them and laid them at his sides. Nope, he was not going to get masturbated. He was already hot and hard, impatient and eager. He didn't want to finish like that.

Before Louis could protest, they kissed, and they were close enough in height their cocks rubbed against each other. Their breaths came out in a hitch. Louis moved his hips forward. Kazuhiko rolled his, and more groans could be heard.

The redhead wound one hand into the back of Kazuhiko´s head. Their mouths fed at each other, their tongues battled for control, their bodies kept on pushing.

Kazuhiko was sweating now, and his mind was turning foggy. Somehow, he managed to drag a hand down to Louis´s butt. Making an effort not to stop his hips from moving, his fingers slid between the small but firm cheeks.

Their kiss stopped. Mauve eyes stared into brown, unsure this time.

His lower body stopped moving. He grasped the reddish fibers between his free hand, tugged, and kissed Louis while his other hand tried to find the opening. When did, he felt right away how tight it was. He deepened the kiss to suppress a moan.

On his stomach he could already feel the redhead´s pre-cum, and it being the only lubricant he had at hand he smeared some on his fingers. He hesitated for a split second, then slid one digit into the redhead´s tight opening.

Louis gasped. His back arched, and his face tainted with pain. There was a lot of resistance; it was obvious.

The brunette gave a soothing hum, then locked their mouths together. He moved his finger down there while his other hand petted Louis´s head. He would do this until the latter was ready.

When his first finger could move freely he murmured something senseless before sliding another one in. Again, Louis looked pained, and he almost mewled, but not in a good way.

The brunette pecked his lips, nibbled at his chin and collarbone to try to get him to relax. Eventually, both of his fingers could move. He then spread them, trying to dilate it more. Louis protested not with words, but with body language.

He swallowed hard, ran his clean hand through the redhead´s sweaty face and cupped his penis with the other. Even his own touch sent a shiver through him, and he knew there was no way he´d last.

He closed his eyes, devoured Louis´s lips and pressed against the tight opening. The latter moaned, shifted. He bit his lower lip, then thrust forward.

Louis hissed at the sudden and wide intrusion. His muscles contracted, and pain started low on his back.

Kazuhiko muttered a breathy apology but didn't stop. His hips moved forward, and Louis felt more burning than before. He broke out into a sweat. That didn't feel good. It felt… awkward and painful.

"I know it hurts," the brunette croaked, biting the pale collarbone. "I know it hurts," he repeated.

Louis couldn't answer, but he hugged the other´s neck with both arms, bit into the nearest patch of skin and gathering all the courage he could muster he thrust his hips upward.

Kazuhiko gasped, and his went as wide as saucers, but he met the movement with a shove of his own. He shivered once more, and as bad as it was, the small sound of pain Louis let out only turned him on more.

His mind filling with cotton, he grabbed the redheads hips and raised them, making the angle sharper. Louis[s breath quickened more than before, and he kept on moving his hips. The sensations were acute, wave after wave of pleasure hit him as he thrust into the redhead.

He somehow managed to raise a shaking hand to cup Louis´s penis. He began moving his hand up and down, and this time the latte moaned but not from pain. The sounds drove him insane, and his hips moved faster, his hand as well.

It was a breaking point.

As gasps and growls fell from his own mouth all he was aware of was Louis, and their so intimate act. The same act which Louis had never done before, and the same he himself hadn't quite enjoyed like this. Everything was different, but better. Every thrust, every hand movement, every sound and tiny movement.

Louis cried out, body tensing, and before Kazuhiko could pull his hand away it became covered in a sticky and white substance. He uttered a strange sound as the redhead shivered and began relaxing around him.

The pressure on his own body too much already, Kazuhiko let go of his boyfriend´s penis, gripped his side and gave one last, forceful thrust, one that did bring a cry from his mouth, as he released all that pressure into the redhead´s body.

When it was over, he became aware of his heard hammering at the back of his throat, but also of Louis´s loud and sharp breathing, the quickened rise and fall of his chest. He hesitated for a second, pulled out once and for all and then let his body fall on top of his boyfriend´s.

They laid there for a while, their bodies cooling down. Kazuhiko made the best he could of the little perfect moment by simply being with Louis there, listening to his heartbeat and waiting for it to normalize. In that moment, their closeness felt precious, or rather priceless to him.

When they had calmed down it was Louis who managed to speak first: "I´m beginning to think you´re a liar."

The statement shattered Kazuhiko´s personal mini-heaven into a thousand pieces. It was so unfitting he felt his face go slack with shock, and he raised himself up on his elbows to stare at the redhead.

"Eh?!"

Louis regarded him with a lazy, full and sleepy smile. "You told me you´d never been with a man before. After this, I´m not sure I believe you."

The brunette blinked almost a hundred times, then gave a coarse laugh. His throat felt kind of dry. "I´d never lie to you unless it was for your own good," he croaked. He brought their mouths together, and one of his hands moved to rub the other´s hipbone with gentle movements. "How are you feeling?"

A groan, not like before, but this one amused and somewhat annoyed. "Oh, please stop being such a worrywart, Kaz."

"Answer me."

Louis sighed, then shifted. "I´m fine. I don't think I can move yet, but I´m fine," he said.

"Alright." A few seconds of silence, followed by, "Do you feel uncomfortable? Because if you do I can get some washrags and… ow!" he cried as long, slim fingers pulled at his hair.

"You´re a mother hen," the redhead said, couldn't stop a laugh from spilling out of his mouth and added, "But at least you´re _my _mother hen, and I love it… most of the time."

Kazuhiko´s breath caught in his throat. "You don't mean that. You´re only saying it because you´re feeling the afterglow," he muttered, cheeks turning red.

"Afterglow?" Louis sounded adorably confused.

He snorted, and after weighing his strength in his mind he pushed himself up and off the other man. His eyes roamed over the pale yet flushed skin, the mess on both their stomachs and the white mess between Louis´s legs. His gut tightened with a feeling he´d never experienced before. Sure, he´d finished inside the women he´d slept with, but even then, seeing his own seed had never made him feel so freaking possessive and embarrassed at the same time.

"I-I´m going to get something… to, uh, clean us up," he sputtered, stood up and wobbled about until he found his jeans. His lower body not fully functional yet, he was unsteady on his feet as he ambled into the downstairs bathroom. He picked up a couple of rags and held them under the showerhead. By the time he came back, however, Louis had fallen asleep.

"Figures," he muttered as he suppressed a yawn of his own.

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

When Ryoko and Isao entered the house a bit before eleven later that night, all the lights on the first floor were turned off, but the living room smelled to lavender, and the couch seemed to be far cleaner and neater than what either of them remembered.

Isao was too tired to notice anything amiss, but Ryoko wasn't, and since her pregnancy made her more susceptible to smells… she knew something had happened as soon as she smelled the disinfectant.

"Ryo-chan? Aren´t you going to go to bed?" Isao asked in sleepy confusion as he headed for their bedroom.

"I´ll be there in a sec. I just need to talk to Kaz if he´s still awake," she said, and went up the stairs. She´d climbed two of them when Isao called, "Ryo-chan."

She froze. "Hmm."

"Get back here."

"Eh?"

"Leave the boys alone, darling."

Her skin prickled. Isao never called her cutesy names like that because he knew they annoyed her. If he did it meant he was either being sarcastic or dead serious. In this case, she supposed it was the latter.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. "But…"

"You´ll give them grief tomorrow morning, okay? I know you want to and I know why." Verdant eyes darted to the spotless living room. "And be assured, I´ll help you with it."

Her mouth dropped to the floor. "Are you serious?" she asked.

Isao gave a slight smile. "Of course. Kazuhiko-kun is my younger brother as well, and while this is kind of uncomfortable for me I find it funny as hell. It´ll be amusing to mess with them." He beckoned her over. "Now let´s go to bed, Ryo-chan."

Ryoko hesitated, then laughed, hopped off the stairs and went to take his hand.

"Don't go moving around so wildly. Our baby might get dizzy," he chastised.

She laughed once more and squeezed his hand. "I really do love you, you know, even though you say some rather dumb things."

As soon as the couple was gone, Louis stopped hiding at the top of the stairs. He poked his head down, then climbed down, trying not to clutch his lower back.

When he was down on the first floor he went into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. All the time he had one thought in his mind.

_Kaz and I need to evacuate the house before the sun rises tomorrow. _

**To be continued…**

And so here you have the next chapter. It´s long and it´s my bad attempt at writing lemon. I´m sure it didn't end up being very good because it´s so outside my zone of comfort but I do hope you didn't hate it. I would really appreciate feedback on that small detail alone because I had planned on writing another one but after this… well, who knows. By the way, if you did hate it… please don't be too rough about it! :( I´m not sure I can take very rough scolding. T_T

Apart from that, I´ll go back to fluff and attempted humor the next chapter. Some more characters have appearances to make and these two need to have some pillow talk— but not on pillows LOL.

More than ever, thanks so very, very, very much for reading and bearing this chapter! 3


	24. Chapter 24: Battle Lines

**Chapter 24: Battle Lines**

A soft vibrating noise made him stir. The familiar sound of his ringtone made his eyes spring open. Louis´s sleepy mumble of complaint made him reach over said redhead to grab the phone. As he pressed it to his ear he went back to cuddling his boyfriend like he´d done most of the night.

"Yes," Kazuhiko said with a yawn.

"Akiyama-san, good morning."

"Oh, Masaomi-san. Good morning." He stifled another yawn. "Is something wrong?"

"Not wrong per se. I only wanted to check up on Louis, as ridiculous and paranoid as it may sound," Masaomi said.

"Of course."

"Is he awake? Given it´s only seven thirteen I don't think he is."

"No, he isn't, but give me a moment and I´ll get him for you." He left the phone on his pillow –they´d chosen to sleep on the master bedroom the night before– and nudged Louis. As expected, the redhead only shifted and shied away from the touch.

"Masaomi-san´s on the phone and he wants to talk to you," Kazuhiko whispered into his ear, rubbed his cheek against the reddish hair and nudged again.

Somehow, the name managed to make its way to Louis´s muddy brain because he opened his eyes, and breathed, "Masaomi-nii-san?"

"Yep. Here." The brunette handed the phone over.

Louis muttered something under his breath, then took the phone and raised it to his ear. "Yes, nii-san," he said, and he sounded more asleep than awake.

"He really isn't a morning person," Kazuhiko said to himself as he threw the covers off and went to the bathroom to take care of morning necessities. When he came back out Louis was sitting up on the bed and his brow was furrowed. He was still talking on the phone.

Raising an eyebrow, the brunette went to sit by him and waited until the call was over. When Louis hit the hang up button and handed the phone back he said, "So what´s the problem now?"

"There´s no problem, it´s just Kaname-nii-san and Hikaru-nii-san are home now."

"Oh?"

"Yes, and Masaomi-nii-san wanted to warn me about it because with the duality the family is in right now by the time we get back to Tokyo the Sunrise Residence might be an even more hostile place."

He tilted his head backwards, processed the words, then frowned. "Hell of a way to begin our last day here," he said.

"I know." Louis rubbed his face with his palm. "But you know what they say, the cam before the storm and all that."

"Meaning yesterday was the calm."

"Indeed." He sighed, then slid back under the covers and drew them almost to his chin. "I´m going back to bed."

Kazuhiko watched the obvious demonstration of reclusive behavior. His insides twisted. He thought about leaving him alone, but he couldn't do it. Instead, he went back to his side of the bed, and melded his body against the redhead´s, who froze.

"It´s too late to ask, but do you want to be alone?" he murmured, one arm draping across Louis, his lips near the other´s ear.

"No," came the immediate reply. "I just want to forget. Forget them all." Why couldn't his family just leave them alone? Why couldn't they leave him be? And why did Chi… _Ema_ –he couldn't call her Chi anymore– why did Ema have to come and like Kazuhiko? It really wasn't fair. Why did she have to mess up one of the best things in his life? And why did part of his family have to defend and trust her more than him?

He hated himself for thinking all that, hated his own guts for doubting his family and feeling resentful towards them, yet he couldn't help it. He´d been hurt before, Kazuhiko had patched him up during the trip and especially yesterday evening, and now Masaomi had to reopen his personal Pandora box again.

Why didn't the Asahinas let him enjoy his boyfriend a little longer?

"I´m here for you," Kazuhiko said, voice soft, and kissed his bare shoulder.

"I know. You always are, and I can´t thank you enough for it," Louis replied without turning around. He knew if he did he would end up showered in hugs and tender kisses. Those would be his undoing, and he also knew he´d end up crying… which was something he couldn't allow himself. Delicate-looking or not, different from his brothers or not, Louis was not a crier. He´d never been one. Tears didn't come to him with ease. Besides, it´s not like he´d been faced with many heart-breaking situations in his life.

This, however…

Warm hands began to roam his bare chest, and skin met skin. He couldn't yet figure out how on Earth had Kazuhiko managed to drag him upstairs the night before, because after dozing off on the couch, the next thing he remembered was waking up on the master bedroom wearing his pajamas. What had shocked him the most was the fact that even though he hadn't showered he was clean and could feel a sleeping brunette as his back.

"You´re not going to distract me again with sex, are you?" he asked.

Kazuhiko´s chuckle made him shiver. "Do you want me to? I wouldn't mind."

"For heaven´s sake. You really are a mother hen," he said, and gave up. He turned in the embrace and met warm brown eyes. "While I find it an intriguing proposition I don't want to give your sister more ammunition to grill us today."

"I remember waking me up around eleven to tell me about Ryoko, but I can´t recall what you said."

"I asked if you would mind if we ran away from the house to avoid breakfast with both Ryoko-san and Isao-san. You didn't answer me, though, only demanded I get back to bed."

Kazuhiko grinned. "Right, but don't worry. Ryoko will embarrass me to death, but not you, and Isao-san isn't like her at all. It won´t be very bad." His smile softened. "And even if they try it´s not like I´ll let it get too far."

The redhead tapped the other´s cheek with his fingertips in slight disapproval. "You fuss over me too much."

"Isn´t that what you need, now more than ever?"

"… Don't speak anymore, Kaz, please. I can´t take it right now. Let me hug you and dig myself out of my own misery, okay?"

"Okay." He would have argued, but the mauve eyes told him all he needed to know. Louis didn't want to be alone, yet he wanted to sort things out on his own. It was hard to go with it given his nature, but he would cooperate.

And so he let Louis slip his arms around him, let his head lean against his shoulder and held on. He didn't mind; he enjoyed the corny cuddling after all.

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

As soon as Masaomi hung up, he shoved his cell phone back into his pocket and walked out of his room. Kaname and Hikaru waited outside.

"Is he okay?" Kaname asked. Along with Hikaru, Masaomi had briefed them yesterday night about the most recent events, when they had both arrived from their respective locations.

"He sounded happy up to the point in which I told him to be careful when he came back. It´s obvious he´s still upset about the incident she provoked. It´s understandable, in my opinion."

"I can´t believe Subaru faced off with Kazuo," Hikaru said, atypically serious. "And I don't believe it was caramel-boy´s fault in the least."

"Agreed. He seemed too smitten with Louis the one time I saw them. Of course, things could have changed," Kaname said. His flirty behavior was also gone, replaced by worry for Louis and the other brothers.

"I can assure you it hasn't. They are still a pretty tight couple. Tighter that I´d like them to be, if I´m to be truthful. Still, I am also sure Akiyama-san didn't approach her first."

"But of course Subaru had to be a dickhead and let his jealousy get the better of him. The same goes for Yuusuke and Natsume," Hikaru muttered.

"They can´t help it. They´re in love with our beloved imouto-chan," Kaname said.

Green eyes slid to him. "How come you´re not mad? You've chased her as well."

"Sure, but it´s not like I really want her. I know none of you guys have faith in me, but I´m a monk in the end. I just happen to love messing with women."

"Are you really going to tell me you've shut out all thoughts about sex out of your head?"

"I never said such a thing, but let´s face it. She´s a child compared to us three and I´ve run across prettier, bolder, better women in my journeys."

Masaomi cleared his throat. Both brothers turned to look at him, and they looked kind of sheepish.

"Ah, sorry," Hikaru said.

"I´ve never broken my vows, Masa-nii, I swear," Kaname said.

Masaomi rolled his eyes. "I don't want to hear about it. So, has either of you talked to the twins?"

"To see if they´re on her side or Louie-tan´s? Nope," Hikaru said.

"Neither have I, but I believe Azusa is with Louis, I´m not sure about Tsubaki," Kaname put in.

Masaomi looked devastated. "I didn't mean it like that, and see? This is what I warned Louis about. The family is split in half."

"With you leading one side and Ukyo the other," Hikaru said.

"It shouldn't be like this! We´re family!"

"It´s her fault for the most part, but also Kazuo´s."

"I´m not blaming anyone."

"Well, I am," Hikaru spat. "Because I´m pissed off and because this is all unfair to Louis, and also because he´ll never complain to us about it. Kazuo is the first person he´s ever dated, and he´s happy with him. I´m sure this happened because Kazuo was too nice to her. Sounds like what he´d do. He´s a talking golden retriever, But her… why couldn't she leave them alone even then, have some self-restraint? She has half of the Asahinas chasing her skirts."

"You´re being too rude," Kaname said.

"Fuck rude! I´m mad, damn it, really mad."

"If that´s what you think you should go tell her on her face, not behind her back," Ukyo said, tone frosty as he approached the other three.

Hikaru glared. "I would but she´d only break into a thousand pieces and all of you would run to pick them up and soothe her until she´s better. No way am I giving her an excuse to get more attention."

"How dare you! She´s our sister!"

"And Louis is our brother! We´ve known him since he was a toddler."

"But he´s not blood, is he?"

Masaomi and Kaname gasped at the angry retort.

Oh no, Ukyo _had not_ said that. _He had not said…_

Hikaru´s breath caught in his throat, then his eyes narrowed and he screamed, "I will not forgive you, Ukyo, for being such an idiot! But let me refresh your memory: she´s not freaking blood either, and Louis has done _much more_ for our family than her!"

With a murderous glance he stormed off. Ukyo huffed. Kaname said, "The last bit was unnecessary, Kyo-nii."

"So now you´re abandoning your family as well for a homo!"

"I´m not…!"

"Do you really care if Luis is dating a man? Is this what your anger is about?" Masaomi interrupted.

"With all due respect, Masaomi-nii-san, I won´t talk with you about this anymore. You think I´m hopeless and I feel the same way. The lines have been drawn."

"So you plan on attacking Louis when he gets back."

"Not Louis, but that man. If Louis gets in the way then so be it."

Masaomi slumped over his own body. He realized, looking into Ukyo´s icy eyes, how the situation was indeed helpless. Oh, how he wished he could dump all these problems on someone else. He´d gotten used to handling the Asahina household –his mother was, at cruel as it may sound, useless and too focused on her own life to care about her sons– but it didn't mean he loved doing it. He took secret pride in being his family´s main moral support, father to many of them, and yet sometimes it was too much. Sometimes he wished he lived his life for himself and not his family, sometimes he truly wished someone else could come and take over.

"Masa-nii."

Kaname´s voice jerked his head around. He blinked. "Hmm."

"Don't torture yourself over this. You already do too much for all of us to take on more issues."

He gave a weak smile. "Was I so obvious?"

"Sort of." The blonde sighed. "You know, I´ve been trying not to blame anyone about this problem, but after much thought I realized I´m not that illuminated yet. Part of me does blame imouto-chan, but above all and contrary to what I´ve said before… I can´t blame Louis or Kazuo. Kazuo popped up make Louis happy, and the boy deserves it because I think even Wataru-chan has had a girlfriend already."

Masaomi couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Probably."

Kaname grinned, not like he usually did, but close. "Louis needs to be left of the hook."

"I know."

"But we´ll have to work on Suba-chan and the others." He clapped his oldest brother on the shoulder. "Try to relax. Hikaru and I will do our best while we´re here. The same goes for Iori. You also need some time off."

"Thanks." And he meant it, because he really did need it.

Downstairs, Azusa and Tsubaki thought about the screaming match they[d managed to overhear. As each of them lay in their bed, Tsubaki said, "I can´t believe Kyo-nii said that."

"Yeah. It doesn't matter whether he´s adopted or not. He´s our brother," Azusa agreed, and stayed quiet for a couple of minutes before saying, "Whose side are we on? I know Masaomi-nii-san doesn't want us split like this but it´s too late."

"I don't know," the older twin mused. "Part of me wants to side with her."

"You _are_ in love with her after all, aren't you?"

"Aren´t you as well?"

Azusa sighed and kept staring at the ceiling of their shared room. "I don't think so. I mean, maybe I had a little crush on her when she arrived because we´re all men and suddenly there´s an adorable and sweet girl between us all… but she´s not the only girl in the world, and I don't want to lose you over her."

"That´s not what we agreed on the last time we had a serious talk about the subject."

"I´m aware it isn't, but give me a break, Tsubaki. You´re my twin. You mean so much more to me than a possible affair with a girl much younger than me, and one who isn't sure of what she feels at that." Realizing how honest his words were, Azusa smiled. Oh, this was great. He´d gotten over her, and the reason was Tsubaki. His brother was the most precious thing to him in the whole world. Girls or whatever else came his way, his feelings would never change.

"So you´re telling me you've given up," Tsubaki said softly.

"I guess I did quite a few months ago. That´s the reason I want to side with Louis, you know? Now I see her more like a hindrance to my brother´s happiness, and though not as intensely, I love Louis too." His eyes slid to his twin on the bed across the room. "On the other side I know you want to support her because you do love her, and I want to side with you, not with her, but with you."

At the confession Tsubaki sighed. His connection with Azusa was too strong, so he understood where the words came from, but he himself wasn't sure what to do. He liked Kazuhiko. The guy was a goofball and it amused him to no end the thing he and Louis had going on. Yet he also felt for her. He couldn't hate Kazuhiko like Subaru did even though he also loved her. All he could do was worry about her and how she felt…

"I´m confused," he said out loud, and left it at that for a good five minutes.

… Until Azusa said, "Does this mean we´re not taking sides?"

"Nope… not yet, anyway."

.-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-.

Kazuhiko rinsed off the last dish and handed it to Ryoko, who dried it and placed it on the cabinet above their heads. Next he cleaned his hands and dried them with a fresh towel. He didn't speak, didn't raise his eyes, moved like a robot.

"You look awfully gloomy given the fact you just had sex with your boyfriend last night," Ryoko said after a moment of hesitation. All through breakfast, both she and Isao had noticed the couple´s mood, and it had not been a happy one. It had, in fact, been somewhat anxious.

The younger Akiyama frowned, leaned his hands on the sink and looked out the window over it. "I´m giddy, trust me, but my preoccupation is bigger," he said.

The fact she got a straight answer out of her brother on her first try without him even looking uncomfortable worried _her_. Still trying to lighten up the mood she said, "Afraid you two did too much last night?"

Kazuhiko gave her one of his weirdest, coldest looks. "Nee-san, I´m not in the mood for jokes."

The smile dropped off her face as if it had never been there. "What´s wrong?" she asked.

"The Asahinas, the Asahinas are wrong."

"What has happened now?"

"Nothing new, but Masaomi-san just let us now that the, uh, battle lines have been drawn if you know what I mean. It´ll be a warzone when we get back, and Louis has to walk right into it."

"You´re worried he might get hurt?"

"I know they won´t hurt him physically, but emotionally… not that I´d hate to patch him up if something worse happens, but I´d rather have him not break down."

"I get the feeling you´re underestimating him."

"Maybe I am, but come on, nee-san, I having your sister chase your boyfriend has got to be tough, especially since you do love her."

Ryoko blinked, put herself in Louis´s shoes and had to agree. She was sure she and Kazuhiko wouldn't ever forgive each other if they tried to mess in that way with each other´s love lives. And if on top of the betrayal she had to face more hostile family…

"Has he ever thought about living by himself? It´d make this situation easier," she said.

"He wants to move out of the house." Kazuhiko scratched the back of his head. "And I told him I´d help with the search since before we left Tokyo, but I haven't done anything."

"Let´s search for an apartment now!" Ryoko suggested. "I mean, Louis-san and Isao will be gone until like, lunch time."

"Yeah." Kazuhiko frowned. Isao had taken his car for a checkup at his favorite car shop in downtown Shizuoka. Louis had asked to go along, which struck Kazuhiko as weird until the redhead said he wanted to take another tour around the city… by himself.

No one argued.

"I don't know," the brunette murmured.

"It won´t hurt. The worst he´ll do is decline our efforts, which isn't bad for us ´cause it´s not like we have other stuff to do."

In the end, Kazuhiko complied. Even though it was Sunday, they were the owners of the real estate company, and they managed to get in touch with a couple of agents who worked on the Tokyo branch and had various places to show first thing the next morning. They made sure to find small apartments on the outsides of Tokyo, keeping in mind Louis´s workplace and other basic facts.

By the time the door opened and Isao called, "We´re home," the siblings had managed to gather up six different places, which Kazuhiko presented to the redhead as soon as he saw him.

Louis looked surprised, and much more relaxed than when he´d left the house. He stared at the screen of the laptop the other man held and said, "Um, thank you for searching and I´ll gladly look them all over tomorrow, but…" His eyes slid to the brunette, and his voice lowered. "I have a favor to ask of you," he said.

Kazuhiko straightened. "You do?"

The redhead nodded. He rubbed his nose with the back of his palm before mumbling, "Can I stay at your apartment when we get back? I know it´s a cowardly act but I´ll have to stop at… home when we get back anyway to get some more clothes and it won´t be a good visit. Would you mind if…?"

He felt fingers grip his chin, felt his face being tilted up, and next thing he knew, Kazuhiko cut him off with a kiss.

"Why do you even ask, Louis? Honestly," he chastised-chuckled.

Louis gave a weak smile. "Thank you."

Now all he had to do was prepare himself in the few hours they had left in Shizuoka for the disaster his homecoming would be. He would have asked Kazuhiko if they could stay another month in the country house. He didn't because he figured it would be too much cowardice on his part. Way too much, and yet his insides told him the cowardice was not staying in Shizuoka any longer.

**To be continued…**

Hello! So, I´m here a week earlier than intended with a new chapter, hahaha. First of all, though, thanks to all of you guys for the feedback you gave me on the last one. You have no idea how relieved I was to get so many reviews saying it wasn't that horrible a read. I´m honestly glad it didn't suck as much as I thought it would, but to tell you the truth I´m very relieved I got over that chapter, and well, if this is being posted today is because I needed to get back into what I do best –fluff and more sickening fluff– because writing the freaking lemon was so very uncomfortable. -.-' Still, thank you again for sticking with this story and whether or not our couple gets another, uh, intimate moment depends how more comfortable I get with the subject LOL. Thanks so, so, so much for reading! :*


	25. Chapter 25: Breaking Point

Hey there! Again I´m a week earlier than intended with a new chapter but the muses have been kind to me lately and have given me inspiration to work on my two boys, so of course I had to write and well, here it is. It´s probably the longest chapter I´ve written so far and it´s… angsty, I guess, but please don't hate me! I just felt something like this needed to happen before things get even worse and… don't hate me, really. Please don't. :3 Apart from that and as always, thanks so much for reading!

**Chapter 25: Breaking Point**

Louis lay very still on the car seat. His spine was so straight it almost looked painful, his gaze was stuck somewhere far away, his hands were balled into fists in his lap. He´d squeezed them so hard his knuckles were white, and his arms were shaking in an almost imperceptible way.

Kazuhiko gave him a worried look, bit his bottom lip, then tightened his owns hands around the steering wheel. He thought about it, God knows he did, but in the end the words left his mouth.

"You don't have to do this," he said, breaking the silence that had reigned since he´d parked outside the Sunrise Residence almost ten minutes ago.

He´d expected some sharp retort, or some comment about how Louis felt he was being underestimated. All he got was a small shake of the head.

The brunette tried again. "Louis, you really don't have to do this. You´re staying at my place, and you have your personal stuff here. I wouldn't mind sharing clothes with you. I´m only a couple inches taller and I´m not that big, so they´ll fit you just fine. Besides, if you need money I can…"

"Stop, Kaz."

"But…"

"Don't say anything."

"Louis…"

"No!" Livid mauve eyes glared into his. The shaking on the limbs got worse. "Don't speak," Louis ordered, tone sharp.

Kazuhiko blinked in surprised. If anyone else had talked to him in such manner when all he was trying to do was help he would have gotten mad. Since it was Louis, all he felt was fear.

"We both know you don't want to go in there," he almost wailed.

The redhead lowered his eyes, shook his head. "I have to go in. I don't know what to expect, but I need my stuff, and I have to talk to them."

"Then at least let me go in with you."

"No!" Again, Louis raised his voice, making Kazuhiko recoil, and the former flinched. He rubbed his eyes with his palms.

"I´m sorry, Kaz. I´m so sorry. I don't want to snap at you. I don't want to get mad at you," he whispered, and shook his head again.

The brunette felt helpless. Here Louis was, fighting an inner battle, feeling both nervous and angry, feeling on freaking edge… and he knew nothing he did would help ease the other man. Nothing he said would help. Nothing he did would show support.

Damn it. He absolutely _loathed _the feeling.

So he tried to get rid of it. "What can I do to help?" he asked.

"You've already helped me through all of this hellish situation, Kaz."

"It´s not enough. I don't feel like I´ve done enough," he insisted.

The redhead gave a soft snort, unclenched his fists, then leaned across the seat to grab his boyfriend´s face between his hands. "It´s more than enough, and I´m the one who hasn't thanked you enough times," he mumbled, and touched his lips to the brunette´s.

Before Kazuhiko could get his hands on him to deepen the kiss, Louis pulled back. He gave a soft smile.

"Here we go." Without further delay, he got out of the car.

He managed to walk into the front yard, pass the tree and the three stairs that led to the door. There, his hand froze.

His breath caught in his throat. His heartbeat sped up. His hands started shaking again, but he told himself to calm down. He did his best to breathe in an even manner. Nonetheless, it took much more courage than he would have liked to admit to open the door and take the first step inside.

He was met by absolute and peaceful silence.

He let out a relieved sigh, gathered up some courage, then took the elevator. It was a Sunday late afternoon. Most brothers would either be somewhere in the city or in the fifth floor. The chances of getting in and out without being noticed were sort of good.

The elevator door opened on the third floor. He poked his head out. Empty. Calmed, he walked down the hall and into his room. More blessed silence.

Beginning to feel at home again, Louis pulled out a suitcase and began stuffing his clothes inside. He also threw in other personal items, work appliances, books and whatever else he thought would be useful. When he was finished, his lips curved upward. There. He was good for at least another three weeks.

He opened the door and peeked out into the hall. Empty. He began his walk towards the elevator with his suitcase, and managed to get back to the first floor before things started going downhill.

He´d just stepped out of the elevator when the front door opened, and none other than Ema and Subaru walked inside. They were both smiling.

Louis froze. He almost dropped the suitcase, and that little slip made the other two notice him.

Subaru´s face clouded over right away. Ema paled, but she rushed forward, hands extended.

Louis retreated various steps without even thinking.

Her expression fell. "Louis-san…" she began. One of her hands curled as if to grab his arm.

All thoughts and emotions came back to him in a sudden blow. The feeling of betrayal –both from her and from his family– was the strongest. He couldn't take it. He had to flee.

Without even looking at Ema, Louis sidestepped her. Her hands grabbed empty air, but she didn't stop there. She turned, her eyes already watery.

"Louis-san, can we talk?" she whispered.

Louis shook his head, kept moving forward.

"Louis-san, please! We have to talk."

No, they had nothing to talk about, and he didn't want to. He didn't want to even see her, let alone hear what she had to say. He´d seen enough the last week, and he´d had enough of what she could do.

"Louis-san!" she cried, but when he didn't hesitate she screamed, "I´m sorry! If you won´t listen to me at least let me tell you that: I´m so sorry!"

The redhead stilled.

Sorry? She was _sorry_?

Louis had never heard such a big, fat, ugly lie.

"I have to go," he muttered, and tried to get out the door, but Subaru stopped him.

"Don't be mean, Louis-nii. Listen to her."

"No."

"But she said she´s sorry."

Oh for heaven´s sake. Ema was sorry and Subaru of all people was repeating it? Louis felt his almost-nonexistent temper flare.

"Don't make fun of me," he said, and glared at the two of them.

Ema´s mouth dropped. Subaru blinked. Had Louis just snapped at them?

"Louis-nii," Subaru said.

The redhead shook his head. "Don't talk to me, either of you. I´m not in the mood to deal with this."

"But we have to talk!" Ema cried.

"No."

Something seemed to occur to Subaru. "You don't want to talk her because that idiot is waiting for you outside? Is he in the silver car outside the house?"

Louis gritted his teeth. He gave Subaru a deadly look. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"After what he caused, after what he did to her, you still bring him around?"

"Subaru-san!" came the feminine cry.

She was ignored. Subaru because he´d already gotten mad. Louis because he would not listen to such nonsense.

"And what did Kazuhiko do to her?" he said. "And what do you mean what he caused? As far as I know, Ema is the one who likes him, not the other way around."

"So he´s brainwashed you too!" Subaru threw his hands into the air.

"I am not brainwashed. I know what I´m talking about."

"So you´re telling me the guy loves you so much he doesn't want her."

… Subaru had never said such a stupid thing before. Ema´s umpteenth and outraged "Subaru-san!" proved it.

Louis stared at his brother. "Do you really mean what you just said?" he asked, and his tone was now acquiring a creepy emptiness. His insides were fluttering, his blood was turning to ice. What he´d just heard had brought to mind some terrible moments of his adolescence.

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough. _

"Of course I do!" Subaru said. Because in his head, why would the guy still choose Louis –_his brother_– when beautiful, sweet, feminine Ema liked him and even wanted something romantic to do with him.

The concept was too abstract and selfish for Subaru to understand because he was also drowning in selfishness and jealousy.

Louis fisted his hands. "I don't understand," he said. He was shaking, and those ghosts were about to take over his mind, but he would not cry, dammit. He would not spill a tear.

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

Subaru was far too gone to understand what his elder said. Ema wasn't, and she asked, "Understand what?"

He turned like a whirlwind. His eyes were burning, but at the same time they held a fragility so big it scared her. She´d never seen eyes like that.

"Why?" he managed to say through gritted teeth.

"Why what?"

"Just… _why_, Ema?" And Louis knew he was done for. The gates had been opened, and all the things he´d thought during the weekend would come spilling out like a river.

"_Why_?" he repeated, and he´d squeezed his hands so hard his knuckles were white again. "Why is everyone doing this to me? Why are _you_ doing this to me? I loved you like a sister, you know. And I thought my family would always stick with me, but now I see I´m wrong, and as much as I hate to say it, I feel like it´s your fault."

"Hey!" Subaru screamed.

The redhead ignored him, just kept his eyes on the now blushing girl.

"I´m sorry I´m causing you pain," she said, and she meant it.

"You´re not sorry, or maybe you are, but it doesn't matter," Louis retorted. "You still like Kazuhiko, and your crush caused all this."

"She didn't do anything. That guy did," Subaru said.

The redhead glared at him. "Kazuhiko didn't do _anything_! Don't blame him for this."

"Well, why did he appear in the first place?"

"Because he and I are going out."

"And you´re going to tell me you honestly don't believe he´s looked at her even once?" Subaru snorted.

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

"Subaru-san, please stop," Ema begged, then whined, "Louis-san, I really am sorry. I don't want you guys to fight."

"But you still like the guy," Subaru´s said, and his face fell. "Why him? Why couldn't it be someone else?"

"Subaru-san, one doesn't choose who they end having feelings for."

Louis felt as if he´d been stabbed right through the fucking heart.

He swallowed hard, and all of a sudden he felt dizzy. At the same time the memories came back full force, and he almost felt nauseous.

"_Am I your biological son?"_

_Miwa flinched. "Louie, darling, we don't have to…"_

"_Am I?" _

"_Louie…"_

"_Am I?!"_

_At the anguished scream, Miwa flinched again. She reached out a hand, but twelve-year-old Louis stumbled back as if she were something poisonous. He clutched to his chest the adoption papers he´d found in her studio while he was searching for some magazines he and Hikaru were going to cut out and make a collage of. He looked devastated, and his eyes already glistened with tears._

_When the woman kept quiet and her expression remained somber, Louis began sniffling. "You´re not my mom." He said it like it was the biggest sin in the world. _

_At that outburst, Miwa did react, and she rushed forwards to cradle the small redhead between her arms. _

"_No, don't say that. Of course I´m your mom," she said, rubbing at his hair. _

_Louis stayed impassive in her arms. "These papers say you aren't. You´re not my biological mom," he whispered. And the tears spilled out. "You´re not my mom, and Hikaru-nii isn't my brother." He actually let out a sob. "No one is my brother, is it? None of you are my family."_

"_Oh, Louie, don't say that. Of course we´re your family."_

"_But… but…" He felt his throat was closing up, and he let out more sniffles. "I´m adopted."_

_Miwa hugged him tight. She stayed quiet. _

_He continued crying. "I´m adopted. I´m adopted. Please answer me, am I adopted?"_

"_Louie…"_

"_Tell me, please!"_

"_Honey, does it really matter? _

"_Yes it does!" He pushed away from her with all he had and clutched between his arms the folder with the papers. He could still see it, his birth certificate, with his biological´s name unknown, his father´s name something he couldn't pronounce, and then lots and lots more sheets which marked the adoption process, up to his last elementary school form, which said the relationship the two of them had was by adoption, not by blood. Miwa wasn't his mother. She wasn't. And that meant Masa-nii wasn't his brother, and therefore he didn't have to take care of Louis like he did. And Hikaru wasn't his family either, so they couldn't do things together liked they used to. Hikaru didn't have to spoil him and tease him like he did. And baby Wataru wasn't his brother either, so Louis had no right to hold him and play with him and bathe him like a good older brother was supposed to. And…_

"_Give me that." Miwa´s soft voice interrupted his thoughts. He blinked his tears away and let her take the documents from his limp hands. When they were empty, she wrapped her arms around him like she usually did. The gesture wasn't different, but Louis felt it was. _

"_I didn't want to tell you until you were older," Miwa said softly. _

"_You´re not my mom, and they are not my brothers." At that moment, he wasn't capable of thinking anything else. _

"_Don't say that. Sweetheart, of course we´re your family."_

"_But we´re not blood."_

"_So what? I love you very much, and you´re so special to me, Louie. You´re my son, and you´ll always be."_

_Though he tried, he couldn't stop crying. He felt overwhelmed, he felt betrayed. He felt he was too young to know such a thing but he was also scared. He didn't remember anything about his biological family. Nothing. It was all a blank. Though the papers said he´d arrived at the Asahina household when he was a few months shy of turning two, as far as he could remember, he´d always lived at the Sunrise Residence and he wished he could look even farther and try to remember at least a small detail about his true parents. _

_And then it occurred to him. _

"_Why did they give me up?" he asked, and the thought –though in very different words– spilled out of his mouth for the very first time in his life. _

"_Didn't they love me?" he asked Miwa. "Didn't I mean enough to them? Is that why they gave me up?"_

Over the years, with help of the family he´d believed he had, he´d grown out of that mentality. It had been tough, but he´d managed. And yet, the way Subaru had spoken, how Kazuhiko shouldn't love him but _her_ just because Ema was there… a wound he´d thought was closed had been reopened in the worst possible way.

"Louis-san." Ema´s worried voice cut off his painful train of thought. He whipped his head around to look at Subaru and Ema. He must have looked worse than he thought, because her expression turned worried. Subaru, on the other hand, frowned and reached out as if to touch him.

"Don't. You. Dare."

A hand landed on Subaru´s arm before the latter could touch Louis, who blinked, then let out a soft gasp as he realized who´d stopped his brother.

"You…" he began.

Kazuhiko´s eyes flicked to him for a millisecond, then they went back to a furious Subaru.

"Get your hand off me," the raven-haired man growled.

"Get away from Louis first," the brunette snapped.

"I wasn't…"

"I don't care. Back off or I swear to God I´ll _make_ you back off."

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me, you unscrupulous bastard?"

"I´ll be more than happy to put you in your place, and I will if you don't stop messing with Louis."

"You don't have any right to get involved."

"Like hell I don't." Kazuhiko glanced at Louis´s pained expression again. His eyes softened. "I´m sorry. I tried staying in the car, I promise, but I saw you meet these two idiots down here and you didn't come out after so long and… I got worried."

Under any other circumstances, Louis would have rolled his eyes and even chastised the brunette for being so paranoid and fussing so much. As it was, all he did was nod.

"Thank you," he whispered, and was surprised his voice didn't come out as broken as he felt.

"Ugh. You´re disgusting," Subaru told Kazuhiko, which earned him a deadly look and an obscene hand gesture.

"Oh, so that´s how we´re playing it? Fine! Bring it, caramel boy!"

The two of them were about to go at it again, but Louis´s empty, "Don't be such children," stopped them not because of the words, but because of the tone in which they were said.

Subaru looked at the redhead, and his eyes flew wide. The elder looked… well, he didn't look much of anything, really. And therein laid the problem. Louis was not that expressive in the first place, but the way he looked right then…

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

The thought was plaguing him. The memory played back in his head over and over. The wound he´d forgotten all about was wide open now, and he couldn't take it. It was too much.

It was way too much.

He had to leave. He had to get out of there and just forget about his family and that stupid complex he had. He also wanted to stop seeing Ema out of the corner of his eyes. She was the reason as to why Subaru was acting that way, and he was the reason why Louis was suddenly jerked back to that terrible part of his life.

He couldn't take it. It was simply too much.

He blinked, then gripped his suitcase and without saying anything he made his way to the door. His hand closed over the handle. He opened the door and had taken a step outside when Kazuhiko´s hands grabbed his arm.

"I have to go," Louis said. He didn't turn around.

"Where are you going?" The brunette said, and stepped in front of him without releasing him.

"I have to go, Kaz."

"But where…?" The mauve eyes looked like glass, both because of their shininess and their fragility. "Oh, never mind. Let´s go."

"No, not with you."

"… Huh?"

Louis shook his head, rubbed at his face with both palms, then kept moving forward. "I need to get my stuff from your car. Then I´m leaving."

"What on Earth are you babbling about? We´d agreed we´d go back to my apartment and…"

"I can´t. I have to go now. Please, let me get my things."

"But…"

"Kaz."

Confused, scared, Kazuhiko held out the car keys. Louis took them and went to retrieve his canvas bag from inside. He went back to return the keys, and now both Subaru and Ema stood there with the brunette.

"Here," he said hollowly, and handed them over.

Kazuhiko hesitated in taking them. "Louis, what are you doing?" he asked in an almost timid way.

"I´m returning your keys, and now I´m walking to the train station."

His face fell.

"Louis-nii," Subaru said.

There was no answer. Ema tried, "Louis-san, you don't look good."

"I don't feel good," the redhead replied, hefted his bag over one shoulder, grabbed his other big suitcase and said, "I´ll be back soon, if any of the Asahinas bother to ask for me." _I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

Subaru finally stopped looking furious. He now looked terrified. Ema´s and Kazuhiko´s expression were almost identical. Then, to their absolute amazement, Louis walked out of the Sunrise Residence and headed for the train station he walked to every day to get to work.

After two whole minutes –Kazuhiko felt it was only two, but it had to have been much longer– he was the first one to react, and he did so by turning to glare at the two idiots behind him.

"What did you say to him?" he demanded, and he was shaking with anger. He wanted to kick Subaru´s butt to the curb so bad, and even break Ema over his knee because whatever they´d said or done, they´d hurt Louis down to his very core.

How did he know? The look in the soft mauve eyes he adored had told him all he needed to know.

"I didn't say anything," Subaru snapped, and he was back to fighting mode in no time.

"Don't give me that crap. Either you or the girlie did."

"Don't call her girlie!"

Kazuhiko was about to reply –and kill Ema in the process– but then he remembered Louis had more or less run away a little while ago and he was still there with the two worst persons in the world when he should have been going after Louis.

"Whatever. I´m getting Louis back," he muttered, and ran off in the direction the redhead had gone.

After exchanging glances, Subaru and Ema went after him.

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_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

Louis rubbed his face with both hands and leaned against the column inside the nearly empty train station. He tried to chase the thought away, he tried to forget, but he couldn't. Subaru´s words had ripped him open. If it had taken him almost a year to get over the fact he was adopted the first time he´d learned about it, he figured this time wouldn't be any different. Maybe it would go sooner, but in the end…

"What the heck do you think you´re doing?"

He jumped, then turned. Kazuhiko stopped running a few feet in front of him. His face was flushed, his breathing fast.

"Why are you here?" he answered, but he felt numb, not really aware of what he was saying.

Brown orbs glared at him. "I came to get you, of course."

"I told you I´m not going to go to your apartment."

"And where do you plan on going? Why did you come to the train station?"

Why was he there? It was a good question. He had a good answer.

"I want to get away for a little while, Kaz."

"… They said something to you, didn't they?" the brunette breathed.

"Maybe."

"No, don't 'maybe' me. If they hadn't you wouldn't be doing this." Kazuhiko moved forward, trapping the redhead against the pillar. "You´re not okay, are you?"

Louis found it hard to lie. "No."

"I´m sorry I didn't get there sooner. I had a bad feeling from the beginning but I know you have a limit when it comes to how much I coddle you, and…"

"Stop it. You don't have to apologize for anything."

Kazuhiko gave him a panicked look. "But you´re about to run away because of something those two idiots did or said. I can´t let you do that."

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

"I need to run away, Kaz, as cowardly as it sounds." His voice came out empty. He was still feeling numb.

"It´s not cowardly!" The brunette took Louis´s hands between his own. He looked anguished. "Tell me what happened. I want to help you."

"You've already helped me enough."

"Stop saying that. I don't care if I helped you before. I want to help now."

"Then I´ll see you soon."

Kazuhiko let out a frustrated growl. "Louis, do you know what you´re saying?"

The latter gave it a thought, then nodded. "I need some time alone," he said, "but none of this is your fault, and I´m sorry you´re worried about me."

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know."

Silence.

Louis sighed, then retrieved his hands before wrapping them around the brunette´s neck.

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

Did he really believe that? Did he believe Kazuhiko didn't love him, didn't he think enough of himself for Kazuhiko to love him?

No. He didn't doubt Kazuhiko´s love. He didn't doubt his own love for the brunette, and he _did not _doubt their relationship, but, and yet the queasy feeling in his gut, the terrible memories, it was all coming back on full force. He felt haunted, and he wanted to get rid of all those feelings on his own before he faced his boyfriend or his family again.

"Louis," Kazuhiko whispered his name, and the former didn't allow any more words. Their lips touched, and they kissed deeply, sweetly. Their mouths parted, their tongues teased each other, they clutched at each other.

When they separated, Louis let his hands fall to his sides.

"I need a little time alone and away from Tokyo, away from everything," he said.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I know, but I´ll be back soon."

Kazuhiko took a deep breath. "I´m not going to talk you out of this, am I?"

"No. I´m really sorry for all the trouble I´m causing you, but what Subaru said… I can´t deal with it while I´m around them, or you." He needed space, and peace.

The brunette looked both hurt and livid. "What did he say? I´ll kill him."

"You won´t. You´re not a yandere, remember?"

"But he…"

"Louis-nii!"

"Louis-san!"

The couple turned and saw Subaru and Ema making their way to where they were. Kazuhiko cursed under his breath.

"They followed me," he muttered.

Louis averted his eyes. "It doesn't matter. The train is coming anyway." And it was. It had to be less than a minute away from the station.

"You don't need to leave for who knows where, Louis."

"I do, at least for a little while, and I expect you to stay here in Tokyo and out of jail while I´m gone. Ryoko-san would never forgive me if you did something dumb because of something _I_ did."

Translation: stop fussing over me, give me some breathing room and don't kill anyone while we´re apart.

Kazuhiko fisted his hands. Dammit all. If Louis was really going to leave and not even the man in question knew where to head…

"Call me, okay?" he said.

Louis shook his head. "It would defeat the whole purpose of my cowardly fleeing."

"I won´t be able to sleep if I don't know where you´ll be and when you´ll come back."

"I´ll be back soon, and I´ll return safe and sound. I promise."

The train stopped. Ema and Subaru were almost to them.

Louis picked up his suitcase and kicked himself internally. What he was doing was something cliché. He was acting like he was a character in a freaking manga, but he did need to flee until he´d patched up his own wounds, and until all thoughts had ceased to plague him.

With a deep breath, he waited until all the people had gotten out and went in.

"I love you. Don't forget it," Kazuhiko said so soft he almost missed it.

But he didn't, so he turned . "Thank you so much. I love you too," he said, and tried to smile but couldn't manage it. While most of him did believe the words another tiny part of his brain kept saying:

_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough._

He had to get over it.

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Kazuhiko didn't wait to see the train leave. As soon as he lost sight of Louis, he whirled and stomped out, fighting the urge to get on the train so the two of them could go together. He didn't because Louis had specifically said he wanted to go alone.

Oh, he so wanted to commit violence against those two idiots, who followed him back outside, bombarding him with the expected questions all the way back to the Sunrise residence.

_What happened? _

_Where was Louis going? _

_Why had Louis left?_

"Stop asking me stupid questions. Why don't you just screw each other to find out the answers to? You provoked this anyway, so it should be easy," he retorted, and the other two stopped cold in their tracks.

Kazuhiko gave them his best glare. At the moment, it was an excellent one given how he felt.

"Hey, Kazuo! Good to see you! Did you just arrive? I only saw you a few second ago," Hikaru cried in a cheerful tone as he came out of the building. He ignored Subaru and Ema and walked up to Kazuhiko, but hesitated when he felt the tense air. His smiled vanished. He looked around. "Is everything okay? Where is Louie-chan?"

The brunette didn't have enough manners left, so all he did was say, "Louis is, at the moment, on a train heading somewhere out of Tokyo."

The redhead looked confused. "Huh? Are you serious?"

"Dead serious." And boy, did he sound it.

"… What happened?"

"Why don't you ask those two?" Kazuhiko motioned to Subaru and Ema, glared at them again, then walked to his car. He had to leave now. He had to, because if he didn't he wouldn't be able to do what Louis had asked him to do, which was to stay out of trouble.

Let Subaru and Ema tell Hikaru what happened. Let the Asahinas deal with what a stupid girl´s crush had done.

Let them. Kazuhiko couldn't care less at the moment, and proved it by revving the engine and speeding away as fast as he could.

He tried driving to his apartment, but fast-forward twenty minutes and he was standing in Ryoko and Isao´s doorstep, waiting for his sister to open the door.

And then his phone beeped. For a split second he thought it was Louis, but it wasn't Louis. It was a text from, surprise… Masaomi.

_Akiyama-san, please meet me at eight tonight._

There was an address below the message and that was it.

Kazuhiko nodded. He´d be there, no doubt about it.

**To be continued…**

Ta-da! So now the story has officially become a mix between a shoujo manga and a soap opera. *sigh* ;)


	26. Chapter 26: Trust Him

**Chapter 26: Trust Him**

Hikaru felt his temper flare as he heard Kazuhiko speak in such a furious manner. He did his best to hold it all in. However, when the silver car sped away with its owner, and he heard Ema utter a sound similar to a sob… he snapped.

"What did you do?" he cried, whirled, and glared at the two idiots behind him.

Subaru didn't appear to hear him. Ema sniffled.

Hikaru´s blood boiled. "What the hell happened?"

Silence for a couple of seconds, then Ema uttered his name and nothing else.

He fisted his hands. "One of you better tell me what just happened between you two idiots and Kazuo or I will kick both of your asses."

Ema looked appalled. Subaru reacted as if he´d been hit.

"You wouldn't dare," he said.

"Try me," Hikaru retorted, and crossed his arms. "I don't know Kazuo very well, but let me tell you one thing I am one hundred percent sure of: it takes a lot to make him mad, let alone furious."

"But we didn't do anything!"

"Not to him, no, but to Louis I bet you did. And you know another thing? I´m pretty sure Kazuo would give _life_ for Louis at this point, he´s that _smitten_. So, if you did something to harm his _beloved boyfriend_ it´s no wonder he´s livid."

"We didn't do anything to Louis-nii either," Subaru insisted.

"Don't joke with me, Subaru, I´m not in the mood for it. One of you talk to me and tell me where the hell is Louis."

The younger man frowned. Ema sniffled once more. Hikaru was about to hit her when she spoke.

"Louis-san got on a train. I think he´s heading out of Tokyo," she said.

"Huh? Why?!"

Credit was due where credit was due. Hikaru gave Ema hers because she had the guts to tell him what had happened from the moment the two of them entered the Sunrise Residence to find Louis with his suitcase to the moment Louis got on the train and Kazuhiko had gone back to his car. She made a point of empathizing how much Louis had changed after Subaru doubted Kazuhiko´s love for him. When she said that, things clicked inside Hikaru´s head.

When she was done, Hikaru muttered a curse… then went up to Subaru and slapped him hard across the face.

"You´re an idiot!" he screamed.

The latter stumbled, shocked his older brother had hit him.

"Hikaru-nii," Subaru said.

"Hikaru-san!" Ema gasped.

"Idiot!" Hikaru repeated, because Subaru really was. How could he have said such a thing to Louis? Everyone older than Louis knew about the breakdown he´d had when he discovered he was adopted. He´d developed a complex most adopted kids suffered at one point or another. Why was he given up for adoption? Why didn't his parents want him? Didn't he mean enough to them? Didn't they love him? Wasn't he good enough to be loved?

Though Miwa liked to say she was the one who assured and helped Louis get over it… it was a lie. Yes, she´d helped, but Masaomi –especially Masaomi–, Ukyo, Kaname, the twins and him were the ones who were at his side every step of the way. They all assured him he was part of their family, and a very important one, of course. He was loved by the Asahinas, he was held dear by all of them, and it didn't matter why his biological family gave him up. He had a new family, one that would stick with him through thick and thin.

But now Subaru had gone and had reopened Louis´s deepest wound. Also, he´d attacked where it hurt the most: Kazuhiko.

Hikaru would have cut his brother some slack since Subaru didn't know Louis was adopted. He didn't, though, because Subaru had been a jerk before and this had been the last straw.

"Why am I an idiot?" the blackhead demanded.

And of course Subaru would have no idea. Of course.

"You have no idea what you did to Louis," Hikaru said, "and it´s no wonder Kazuo was mad. You practically ripped the love of his life in two."

"You´re exaggerating! And those two don't love each other. I mean, why would that dog love Louis-nii when…?"

"You finish that sentence and I´ll hit you again, Subaru. You´re a blind idiot. I never thought there was a bigger idiot than Fuuto. It appears I was wrong." He glared at Ema, who only stood there all wide-eyed and innocent-looking. "And you stop looking so damn innocent. This is all your fault, Subaru, Ukyo, Yuusuke, Fuuto and the triplets are chasing you. Couldn't you have chosen one of them instead of Kazuo? Why couldn't you let Louis be happy? Why did you have to like Kazuo of all people? Despite your looks you´re an awful person, and I´d hit you too if you weren't…"

"Hikaru-nii-san, what is all this screaming about?" Iori wondered, coming out of the building.

Hikaru turned like a whirlwind. "You want to know what this is about, Iori? You will know, and so will everybody else." He grabbed both Ema and Subaru by the arms. "You two come and spill the beans. I so want to see what Masa-nii will say about this."

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Masaomi did not utter a single word.

From the moment Ema stopped speaking and Hikaru and Ukyo got into an Olympic screaming match, Masaomi did not speak. He did not answer any of the questions he was asked. He did not begin a conversation with anyone who began one, only listened as Hikaru shared with him his thoughts on what had bothered Louis so much. He did not scold any brother or sister who needed and deserved to get scolded. All he did was get up from his seat on the couch, sigh and walk out.

When he was alone, the first thing he did was send Kazuhiko a text message asking to meet him. The second thing he did was call Louis. He did it five times, didn't get an answer on any of them. Therefore, he decided to text him as well.

He made it brief, concise, neutral.

_Please take care of yourself. You know I´m here for you. Contact me when you feel ready._

After that, he got out of the house and into his car. Feeling strangely numb he drove into town and to the address he´d texted the brunette. Inside he found a table, sat down and ordered what he´d wanted to drink ever since all this love mess had begun.

"Give me some vodka, please," he said.

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"That girl and her dog did _WHAT_?!"

Kazuhiko winced. "Not so loud, nee-san," he muttered.

Ryoko ignored him, just kept glaring-gaping at him. "I can´t believe it," she huffed, pacing around the living room. He watched her from his seat on the couch, a cup of tea in his hand. He´d been livid when he arrived, but now he´d calmed down. With Ryoko it had been the other way around. She´d been calm at first. Halfway through the story her temper had flared. Kazuhiko was positive if she hadn't been pregnant she would be already on her way to the Asahina household with one of Isao´s golf clubs planning to beat the hell out of Subaru and Ema.

Not that Kazuhiko hadn't thought about it. When he´d barreled inside an hour and a half earlier, he´d spotted Isao´s bag of clubs and to be honest… he had considered it. He almost visualized himself taking one and driving back to the Sunrise Residence. He didn't because his sanity kicked back in and also because he remembered Louis had made him promise not to do anything stupid.

Turning Subaru into a bloody pulp would have been satisfying, but it would mean losing Louis. It was not a hard choice to make.

If he hadn't lost Louis already, that was. After the departure at the train station…

"I can´t believe you didn't get in the train with him."

Kazuhiko looked up at his sister, who´d stopped pacing and now stood in front of him, hands on hips.

"Don't you think I tried? Of course I tried. I mean, what type of person would I have been if I hadn't?" he said.

"But you´re as stubborn as a mule! You could have pushed the issue."

"I could have, but Louis didn't want me there, nee-san. Whatever it was that Subaru told him he wanted to sort it out on his own."

"And you have no idea what it was?"

"No."

"And you didn't ask?"

"I asked, but Louis wouldn't answer me."

"You sound like a freeing… oh, never mind! Who cares why Louis-san ran off. Have you tried calling him?"

Kazuhiko gave her a look.

"Right, right. Let me try."

The next hour was spent trying to communicate with Louis. Not a single tactic worked. Calls, texts, Facebook messages and every other single media in which Louis had an account… there wasn't a reply on any of them.

By the time Kazuhiko had to leave to meet Masaomi, he was a nervous wreck.

"What if he lost his phone? What if his battery´s run low and he doesn't have where to charge it… or what if he doesn't have the charger with him?!" Kazuhiko froze on his way to the door. He gasped.

"What if something happened on the train? Maybe it stopped inside a tunnel or maybe it went up in a fire!" His eyes looked wild. "What if the train got robbed and Louis got shot and now he´s lying somewhere…"

Ryoko hit him in the back of the head with all her strength.

"Ow! What was that for?" he protested, rubbing his hair.

"You´re acting like a paranoid woman," she replied, "and trust me, I know what one looks like. I´m one of them, after all."

Kazuhiko frowned.

"What I´m saying, Kaz, is: don't freak out. Louis-san is not dying somewhere under Tokyo. He´s probably not answering anything because he´s still calming down." She wrinkled her nose. "Isao does that sometimes when we fight. Annoys the heck out of me but he does it for his own good."

"So I should let Louis be?"

"I hate to say it, but I don't think you have another choice. For now, go talk to his father."

"He´s not…"

"I _know _he´s not, but you get what I mean. Drive with care and don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"You´re kicking me out, you know."

"Yes, but it´s because if you don't leave I´m going to go into paranoid mode as well and we don't want that, do we?"

He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again. "I guess not." He pulled back the door and stepped out. "Thanks for listening to my rambling, nee-san."

"Aw, nothing to thank, just make sure you get my brother-in-law back home soon," Ryoko said, and waved a hand.

"I´ll do my best," he bowed, and then he was off.

..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..

Masaomi watched as Kazuhiko scanned the tavern once, twice, thrice. The brunette looked confused, worried, incredulous. He also looked lost.

Masaomi laughed softly, decided it was time to end his little diversion and raised a hand above his head.

"Akiyama-san, over here!" he called.

Caramel eyes went as wide as saucers when they saw him, and Masaomi –despite his current situation– chuckled.

"Let me guess. You can´t believe I asked you to come to a bar," he said a soon as the brunette sat opposite him on the tiny table.

"I… I didn't expect it from you of all people," Kazuhiko confessed. His gaze went down to the half-empty glass.

Masaomi chuckled again. "Well, Akiyama-san, I´m afraid I´m not as perfect as you thought I was," he said.

"Don't say that, Masaomi-san. You are perfect. I´ve come to believe it through and thanks to Louis. This just makes you… more human. Even doctors need to get drunk once in a while, I guess." He gave a weak smile. "I´ll drive you home if you need me to, and I´ll keep the secret."

"You´d really do it?"

"You´re my father-in-law. Why wouldn't I?"

The elder sighed, pushed the glass away. "Father-in-law, huh? I´m not sure it´s a compliment, and as tempting as your offer sounds, _son_, I can´t take you up on it. I didn't like liquor when I was young and the situation hasn't changed. I had two sips of vodka while waiting and I still want to throw up."

The brunette gave another weak smile.

Masaomi decided he´d cut to the chase.

"What happened, Akiyama-san? I got Ema´s weepy version, Subaru´s enraged one and Hikaru´s offended one, but I want to hear yours."

"You´ll get an enraged one from me too."

"Yes, but with you I´ll get the closest idea of how Louis really felt when he left."

Kazuhiko bit his lower lip. "Can I get a drink first?"

"You´re not a child, Akiyama-san. You don't need my permission."

He took it as a yes, so he pegged the closest waiter and asked for a margarita, extra tequila.

"Whatever it was that made Louis snap, Subaru was the one who said it," he said when they were alone again. He didn't care if he sounded like a child. It was the truth.

"Hikaru told me as much. Do you know what was it he said exactly?"

"No." Kazuhiko looked stricken. "I should know, shouldn't I? I mean, I was there and Louis looked so horribly sad and alone but I didn't hear anything significant and… and…"

Masaomi raised a hand. "Don't overreact. I was just asking to see if _you _knew. It appears not, but Hikaru had an idea as to why Louis reacted the way he did. I have been thinking about it and it makes sense." Was he going straight to the point? Yeah, he was. He was so very tired, and not only of dealing with the young couple and his family.

Brown eyes stared at him. "What is it?" he asked, anxious.

The elder waited until a waitress brought back the margarita. After Kazuhiko had taken the first sip, Masaomi said, "Akiyama-san, has Louis ever told you anything about adoption?"

Kazuhiko blinked, then nodded. "Yes, of course he has. He told me about how he was adopted by your mother when he was two and how he grew up with you all."

"Anything else?"

"Uh… he also said Ema´s adopted."

"No, no, no. something about himself, about his feelings about the adoption?"

"Oh." Kazuhiko frowned. He searched his head for a conversation that ran any bells, but he came up empty.

"I don't think so, no," he admitted. His frown deepened. "Should he have?"

Masaomi shook his head. "I suppose not. He never talks about it."

"… _About what_?" He began to sound impatient.

Masaomi wasn't surprised. Kazuhiko didn't look like the calm, patient type Louis was. Maybe that´s why they fit together so well, because of how different they were?

He cleared his throat and his thoughts as well, then answered. "About what he felt when he found out he was adopted, about how much it hurt him and about the… mild complex he developed."

"Huh?"

"I believe the phrase Louis used at the time was something along the lines of 'I wasn't good enough, so my parents didn't love me'. He was very upset when he first found out, you know. He used to think he wasn't worthy of love and that nobody liked or cared for him. It took him quite a long time to accept the fact it didn't matter why he was given up for adoption, and that we Asahinas did love him as much as he could… every one of us."

"Most adopted kids go through similar experiences, don't they?"

"Yes, but most find out about it when they are sixteen or seventeen. They are in a rebellious stage, but they are mature enough to deal with the fact they are not blood-related to their families. With Louis it was different. He´d just turned twelve when he discovered the adoption papers, and through our mom tried to soothe him back to his normal state, she had to leave a couple of days after Louis found out the truth."

Kazuhiko blinked. "You mean she left him… hanging?"

"The word will do, yes. She left him hanging and it was up to us brothers to make sure he processed the news and that he got over the… trauma, I guess you could call it."

"And I assume you were the one who helped the most."

"There was no mother, Akiyama-san, much less a father. I had no choice, but I didn't mind. Louis is my brother, and I´d do anything for him and the others."

The youngster nodded. Of course Masaomi would answer something like that. It was Masaomi, for heaven´s sake. "And how is that related to what happened today?"

"Impatient, are you?"

"Do you blame me?"

Masaomi rubbed a hand across his face. "No, I suppose I don't. See, the reason I´m telling you all this is because even though Louis healed, the wound didn't disappear."

"… Go on."

"And from what Subaru and Hikaru said, that wound was reopened today. Subaru questioned whether Louis was worthy of certain person´s love, and it appears it hurt Louis down to the very core to have that very love shaken." He gave Kazuhiko a very sharp look, and even though he wasn't a genius, the brunette understood.

"Subaru questioned _my_ love for Louis?" he cried, both offended and enraged. How dare…?

Masaomi nodded.

"But that´s the stupidest thing I´ve ever heard!" Kazuhiko insisted. He gripped his margarita between his hands as hard as he could. "Louis knows how I feel. Hell, everyone knows how I feel, Masaomi-san."

"Not everyone, apparently. Subaru doesn't believe you love Louis and have no interest in Ema. You don't, right?"

Kazuhiko gave him a _look. _

The elder´s lips twitched. "Back to the subject, I believe that´s why Louis decided he´d get away from all of us."

"He´s questioning…"

"No, I don't think he´s doubting the fact you love him. More like you are going to help him, ah, close up his wound for good."

"Shouldn't I be with him, then?"

"You know how Louis is. He needs to be alone, sometimes."

Kazuhiko looked worried all over again. "And how much time is he going to be out there, all alone? Where is he going to be, for crying out loud? Masaomi-san, I´m worried about him."

"So I am, but he´s not a child." Masaomi gave the brunette a once-over. "And you´re not his mother. You´re his boyfriend, Akiyama-san. You have to trust him to be a grownup, you have to trust him to solve this on his own and to come back when he´s ready. You have to trust him to know what he´s doing."

"So I´m not allowed to worry?"

"You´re allowed to worry and to fret all you want, but you´re also allowed to tell him you support him and that you´re fine, you´re not running around in circles because he´s absent. Even if he doesn't answer any of your messages, a little 'I´m here for you' means and helps a lot more than, 'I´m worried about you. Please come home'."

The brunette looked at him in mild astonishment, then his face turned bright red, and he looked down.

"Did I say something wrong?" Masaomi wondered.

"Wrong? Uh, no, not at all. You just… hit a nerve is all," Kazuhiko answered, and pulled out his phone to send a new message. An _appropriate_ message this time.

..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..

If Louis hadn't been used to Kazuhiko´s constant and enthusiastic messaging, he would have called the latter a stalker for what had been happening for the past few hours.

But to be fair, Kazuhiko wasn't the only one who´d been calling him and texting him nonstop. Hikaru had been trying like crazy, same as Ema and Subaru. Masaomi, Iori and the twins had called once or twice, sent only one supportive and short message.

He hadn't even looked at Ema´s and Subaru´s messages. He´d erased all their calls. It would have been easier if he´d turned off his phone, but he kept needing it to pull up information about small towns outside of Tokyo and places in which he could stay for the night.

He felt a little bit cruel reading their messages, but he was feeling selfish. He liked reading them, didn't feel like answering any of them.

Except Kazuhiko´s.

His boyfriend´s messages held so much intensity Louis could almost hear the worry and even desperation. Kazuhiko was freaking out. Louis was sure of it.

He would have liked to call him to tell him he was alright, but even answering a message would be fatal. Louis just _knew_ one text would end up in a call, and that call would end up in him coming home. Kazuhiko was bound to ask him to come back home because this was not the right thing to do, and Louis would cave. He would get back to Tokyo because Kazuhiko would ask, and Kazuhiko had in little time turned into a huge weakness of his.

But Louis didn't want to succumb. He wanted to be alone, wanted to get away from the people he knew and patch himself up. He wanted to fight on his own. It was his own problem, after all, no one else´s.

Still…

He jumped when his phone rang for the umpteenth time. He stopped looking at the train schedule he had in front. This was his fourth station in the past four hours, and he was feeling a bit lost.

The screen lit up. As he half-expected, it was another text from Kazuhiko. The first one in more than an hour.

Louis tensed up. He readied himself to read another request to come back home, but this message was another thing altogether.

_I was being selfish, asking you to come back. I´m so sorry, Louis. Take your time, do what you need, and no matter what others say don't forget it. I love you, and very much so._

Though they were nothing but a bunch of words, Louis felt as a huge tension seeped out of his shoulders.

"Thanks for talking to him, Masaomi-nii-san," he whispered, and how did he know? His gut told him.

He smiled at his phone, pocketed it again and went back to staring at the train schedules.

Where could he go…?

Hmm. Hokkaido didn't sound like a bad place.

**To be continued…**

Hi! So here is the new chapter and I´m so sorry it took so long to update, but my muse left me alone and in the dark, hahaha, plus I had my very last finals week coming up and I turned into a paranoid and sad wreck. Fortunately, school is over (just finished high school, yeah!) and I´m free until I have to start college next year *sigh*. Anyways, this means I´ll have much more time to write so hopefully I´ll go back to an update per week. As always, I hope you liked this chapter and thank you very much for waiting and even more for reading!


	27. Chapter 27: Spiritual Retreat

**Chapter 27: Spiritual Retreat**

_Gill Charbonnie was a tall, thin man in his early forties. His hair was curly and short. His features Nordic and homey. His eyes were round and framed by thick eyelashes. He didn't look like he was forty-two except for the fact his clothes gave him away as an… and old man. _

_Louis would have doubted the blood relationship between the two of them for lack of style alone if Gill didn't have the same hair, eyes and even build as him. _

_So this man really was his father. _

'_Father'. It was a foreign word to Louis. It sounded like an alien concept. He knew if he said it out loud it would leave a soapy and bitter taste in his mouth. He´d never called anyone by that special title. He was twenty-one years old and yet he´d never uttered the word. Masaomi was the closest thing he´d ever had to one, and though he would thank his oldest brother as long as he lived it wasn't the same, and he´d never called Masaomi anything but brother. _

"_Louis?" Gill pronounced the name not 'Rui' but 'Louie'._

"_Ah… Cha-Char… bo…" He stumbled over the simple name, but it was too complicated to pronounce. _

"_Charbonnie," Gill finished, and his face broke out into a huge and incredulous smile. Eyes the same color as Louis´s filled with tears, and before Louis could even open his mouth to speak one more time Gill wrapped his arms around him and held him tight. _

"_I can´t believe you´re here," Gill whispered, his voice sounded strained. "I can´t believe it, Louis. It´s been so long. Look at you! You're a grown man already. Oh God, Louis. You have no idea how longs it´s been."_

_The youngster blinked a couple of times, then said, "Um, Charbonnie-san, you do know who I am?" How come his father knew who he was? How come he was treating him… like a son? What the hell did that mean? What on Earth did it mean? He´d given Louis up on adoption voluntarily? Oh no, no, no, no. _

_No._

_Gill began crying. He didn't answer Louis´s questions. Instead, he began muttering, "I´m so sorry, son, so very sorry," over and over as his shoulders shook. _

_That´s how Louis´s first meeting with his father went._

Louis sighed as he stared up at the ceiling of the room he´d rented out in a small but cozy hostel in northern Hokuto. He would have chosen a hotel, but he liked simple things, and hotels were never simple.

He knew from the various trips he´d taken with the Asahinas, and even the one in which he´d stayed when he flew off to France for a week. Hotels were always fancy and stuck-up. He, contrary to what his looks hinted at, was not.

And wasn't it a coincidence the fact he thought about France after he´d just woken up from that dream.

No; it hadn't been a dream. It had been a memory, and a recent one. He´d met Gill Charbonnie a little bit over a year ago. Ema and Juli had just arrived at the Sunrise Residence when he went decided to go and meet his biological father. He did it after he´d found the adoption papers a second time when he cleaned out his room. They had been kept in one of his drawers since he was twelve. Miwa had seen fit to give them to him, though he wasn't sure why. However, when he re-read them, he´d decided it was time to try and meet the man. He´d made the comment one night during dinner, but no one except Masaomi had answered, who said, "Why not?"

Of course, that only made everyone panic even more when he went to France and the family couldn't find him anywhere in Tokyo. Masaomi didn't remember at the time what Louis had planned to do and since he only told Juli –and even though he tried to tell Ema about it she was too overwhelmed to pay attention to him– it all created an uproar.

But that was not the point here. The point was Louis was pulling up the memories of his father and to be honest, they were not bad.

Sure, it had been hard to Louis listen as Gill told him how him and his biological mother, Nakano Asami, had had to give him up for two reasons:

First, Asami´s family never approved of Gill. From the moment the two of them met in one of Asami´s trips to France, the Nakanos always viewed Gill as a nuisance for their daughter´s future. Hence, even though Gill and Asami began a relationship and she became pregnant and gave birth to Louis in France, the Nakanos took Asami back to Japan when Louis was only a few months old.

This lead to reason number two, which began when the Nakanos left Louis in France. Gill was nineteen at the time, but he didn't have a job and no matter the way you looked at it he couldn't take care of the child. The Charbonnie family tried to take the baby in, but his parents couldn't afford it, and Gill didn't have any older siblings, only two younger ones.

"_So you had to give me up," Louis murmured, looking straight into Gill´s eyes. _

_His father –his father!– nodded, and he looked terribly unhappy doing it. _

"_It wasn't like I wanted to let you go, Louis. You were… you are my son, and if I had a choice I would have stayed with you and would have moved Heaven and Earth to give you the best. Unfortunately, Child Services intervened, and they took you away."_

"_And then Miwa-san arrived."_

"_Asahina Miwa, right? The woman who adopted you?"_

_Louis nodded. _

"_Well, I can´t say. The Child Services department didn't let me near you after they took you away. I tried, Louis, God knows I tried to get you back…" He looked like he was going to cry again. "But I was a failure of a human being at the time. I was a disgrace, and I couldn't. I failed you, and next thing I knew… you were all the way down in Paris. Do you recall that?"_

_The young redhead shook his head. "My earliest memories begin in Japan, Charbonnie-san, with the Asahina family." _

_Gill flinched for three reasons. First, being called by his last name by his son. He knew he deserved it, of course, but it still stung. Second, hearing '-san' again. Oh, it took him back to the good times with Asami. The truth was, as soon as she was gone he never dealt with Japanese people. Third, hearing Louis say he remembered nothing about his native country also stung. _

_How much had he missed out of his son´s life? Oh, and did he even have the right to ask something like that? He, who´d let go of his only son… his only child. He, who´d failed the woman he loved and the baby he adored. He who had never found his son, he who had stopped looking after ten years had gone by… Louis probably hated him! Scratch that. Louis hated him for sure, and the reason he´d gone to France to meet Gill was probably to kill him for being such a terrible human being and a terrible father and a horrible…_

"_I don't hate you."_

_Gill looked up from his seat across the table from Louis. He looked around the small coffee shop they were in before looking back to the youngster. _

"_You don't?" he asked, unbelieving. _

_Louis stared at him with an impassive and serious face. He shook his head. "No. I don't know you enough to hate you, but I need to understand… even after everything you told me…"_

"_Don't think it was because you weren't loved, Louis. You were the most precious thing both for Asa and I; you were loved and cherished from the moment you were born, but Asa was helpless, I was took weak, and yet…"_

"And yet it all comes down to love," Louis murmured as he got out of bed and headed for the shower. He stifled a yawn.

Three weeks had passed since he´d left Tokyo. It took him almost fifteen hours to get to Hokkaido, and after that he´d pretty much chosen a place at random. He´d ended up in Hokuto because he fell asleep on the bullet train.

He didn't regret his choice, though. Hokuto was one of the newest cities in the Yamanashi Prefecture. It had been established in two thousand four and therefore it wasn't as populated as other places were. There were a lot of rural areas, and Louis had decided to stay in one of them, snow and all.

In truth, this trip –which had started out as a running away kind of trip– had turned instead into a long, almost lazy trip of self-discovery.

As pathetic as it was, Louis was thankful for the opportunity. He´d had many flashbacks to his childhood and adolescence, mixed in with bad memories concerning to his adoption.

However, Louis didn't feel as broken as he did when he left Tokyo.

He had to admit what he´d been doing in Hokuto was the equivalent of one of those spiritual retreats Kaname had always prompted the family to go to, and Louis never had because he used to think they were boring.

Now he knew otherwise.

He´d patched himself up thanks to all the time he´d had to think. With time, he´d come to the a simple conclusion:

He was loved. There were people who cared for him, people who would never abandon him and who would always be there for him. Masaomi was one of the, Hikaru too. Miwa to some extent, and even Gill Charbonnie… in his own, in-another-country way.

And then, of course, was Kazuhiko.

Louis flinched at the mere thinking of his boyfriend´s name.

Well… he wasn't sure they were a couple anymore. It had been three weeks, and though Kazuhiko still called and messaged Louis hadn't answered any of them. It wasn't personal. He´d ignored everyone´s worries and he hadn't paid them much attention, but that morning…

He felt terrible. He felt like he was a scumbag for being so selfish and so childish.

Why hadn't he answered any of their calls, messages? They were all worried, and who knew what state Kazuhiko was in.

Louis flinched again. He reached for his phone, determined to call somebody and say that he would maybe return home in a couple of days…

But the idea died as soon as he saw one new message from Ema.

He let the phone slip out of his fingers. He closed his eyes and counted to ten.

So yes, he´d resolved one issue, but he hadn't resolved the other one, which could be summarized in one little word: forgiveness.

Was he being childish and selfish again? Yes, he was, but he had a right to be. The girl he´d loved like a sister had tried to steal his boyfriend again –his first boyfriend, his first love– even though she had half of the family after her. Plus, her little crush had created discord between the Asahinas and as a result half of the family was against him and Kazuhiko.

Why couldn't she have left them alone?

"I guess I can´t go back home, then," Louis murmured, because if he did nothing would have changed. Fights were sure to ensue if he came home but didn't want anything to do with either Ema or Subaru, and the family would stay broken.

Did that mean he had to forgive them so things could start moving in the right direction? Well yes, but it also meant both Ema, Subaru, Ukyo and the rest had to be willing to give an inch.

But he had to be willing first, right?

Confused and annoyed once again, Louis picked up his phone. He stared at the message icon, then checked the date.

Well, whatever decision he took… he had to take it fast. December the 19th was just around the corner and Louis knew that if he didn't want to screw things up with Kazuhiko permanently he had to be back home by then. It wasn't a matter of choosing, he just had to be back by that date. Period.

Louis sighed. He fiddled with his phone for a couple of seconds, the pulled up his lists of contacts. If he had to be back in Tokyo by the 19th and said date was only a few days away… it was time to at least return Kazuhiko´s calls, wasn't it?

Enough of being selfish, childish and stupid. He owed the brunette that and much more

"Be a man, Louis," he said to himself, found Kazuhiko´s number and pressed the call button.

If this went well he would call Masaomi next. Maybe.

**To be continued…**

Shitty and confusing chapter, I know. :( I´m so sorry for disappoint you all! T_T It´s terrible. I´ll make it up to you next week, I promise…

I´m sorry, so sorry! *runs away and hides*


	28. Chapter 28: Nothing Is Perfect

**Chapter 28: Nothing Is Perfect**

Kazuhiko hated Christmas shopping.

As far as he could remember he had always been quite adverse to the idea. It wasn't the crowds, the noise or the overall cheerfulness what bothered him. in fact, he liked being among people and he didn't mind the buzz everyone made, much less did he mind the happy yet desperate atmosphere. No, those weren't the problems. What did plague him and what he hated was the shopping itself.

Ryoko had dragged him around with her when he was a child. He remembered being nine years old and having Ryoko drag him from store to store as she searched for gifts for their grandparents and her friends. He also recalled how boring it was, how much he used to complain and how Ryoko didn't do anything except tell him to find some presents for his own friends before she went back to ignoring him.

The same had happened with his girlfriends, but it had been worse. The women didn't drag him along just for Christmas shopping but for every single buying trip they took.

_I want a new pair of jeans but I don't want to go alone; come with me and keep me company. _

_I need a new handbag; how about you tag along and tell me which one you like best?_

_We´re having dinner at such a fancy restaurant?! I don't have anything to wear! Hey, why don't you come with me to pick out a dress?_

It had been complete and absolute _hell_. He had loathed going around from one store to the other searching for who knows what in who knows what size and who knows in which color. He had hated waiting endless hours while the girls tried on first one item of clothing, then another. He´d despised the whole indecision thing, and the 'I like both. Which one do you prefer?' even more. Plus, in the end he always ended up paying for the new clothes when he couldn't have cared less if the girlfriend in turn wore brand new jeans or ratty old ones.

Christmas shopping was worse. With a girlfriend or with Ryoko it was the same.

_I need to find the perfect present. _

It all started with that little sentence. Next thing he knew, Kazuhiko had wasted at the very least one whole afternoon hearing one woman oohing and aahing over every single item in the stores. The worst part was in the end the answer was the same.

_Nothing I saw was good enough, you know? It just wasn't. How about we come back tomorrow to search some more?_

It was hell itself!

This year was even worse. Ryoko had called him around noon to say she was going shopping for her in-laws´ presents. Isao had taken the afternoon off and he would go with her, but she wanted her brother to keep her company as well.

When he asked why Ryoko had given a direct –but kind of gentle–answer. _You´ve looked like crap since Louis-san left. If you come with us it´ll get your mind off him at least for a little while, and maybe it´ll cheer you up a bit. I don't like seeing you like this. _

So there he was. It was four-twenty three in the afternoon, he was sitting in a bench outside a sporting goods store and he was _bored to death_.

"How long have we been here?" he asked with a yawn.

Isao, who´d stayed outside with him because he´d also had about enough shopping for the day, glanced at his watch. "Here in the mall or here outside this store?"

"Both."

"I´ll give you only the first. It´s been three hours and seven minutes since we arrived at the mall."

He groaned.

Isao sighed. "You know what´s the worst part?"

"_Is_ there a worst part?"

"Yes. Ryo-chan isn't even halfway through checking out the stores."

He groaned again. "I´m so bored," he muttered.

"Why don't you go look for some presents yourself?"

Kazuhiko pouted. "I don't want to. I hate Christmas shopping. It doesn't matter if I´m alone or not."

Isao chuckled.

"Come on, Isao-san. Don't me mean. It isn't funny at all." His phone began ringing. He pulled it out of his parka pocket and checked the caller´s ID. His eyes went impossibly wide when he saw whose name was showing up on the screen.

"Kazuhiko-kun?" Isao wondered.

"Huh? Oh. Um, excuse me a moment." The brunette flashed his brother-in-law a small smile, then got up and walked away as he hit the answering button.

"Please tell me you´re okay," were the first words that left his mouth as soon as he had the phone against his ear.

A slow, soothing, _familiar_ laugh came through the speaker, then a shy, "Good afternoon to you too, Kaz."

The latter felt his heart flutter. Relief coursed through his body, and his legs went wobbly. He leaned against the closest wall and closed his eyes.

"Do you…? Are you…? I…" he began, then swallowed hard and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he spoke again, his voice came breathy. "Honey… do you have any idea how _long_ I´ve been waiting for you to call?"

Silence on the other end of the line, followed by a stunned, "Did you just call me 'honey'?"

"Yes… yes, I think I did." Kazuhiko gave an incredulous laugh. "Oh God. Yes, Louis. Yes, I called you 'honey', and if you don't start talking I´m going to do it again and again because I´ve never felt so mushy and relieved in my whole life."

Louis coughed. "I tried calling you in the morning, but I chickened out. I thought you were going to either hang up on me or yell at me, and it took me this many hours to gather enough courage to try again and…"

"I´ve missed you."

Again, Louis kept silent. This time the pause lasted almost half a minute, and Kazuhiko thought maybe he´d gotten way ahead of himself –the words had spilled out on their own, honest!– when the redhead let out an embarrassed laugh before almost wailing, "Why are you so sweet to me, even now?"

"Why shouldn't I?"

More silence.

Kazuhiko chuckled. "I know you´re probably feeling guilty right now. You´re thinking I should call you selfish and ask why you´ve been ignoring me all these weeks. You expect me to scream and complain to you, don't you?"

"Why shouldn't you?" Louis echoed.

"Because no way in hell am I going to ruin this phone call. Louis, I´m so ecstatic you´ve called me. You really have no idea how much I´ve been waiting for this. Am I to assume you´re feeling better?"

"Much, much better. I owe you several apologies… and even more explanations."

"Yes, you do." Kazuhiko exhaled, then grinned like an idiot. "I haven't killed anyone, by the way, and I haven't hurt anyone either. I´ve been worrying nonstop but I´ve been a good boy, I promise."

"I´m glad to hear that." Louis hesitated, then said, "Kaz, are you telling me the truth? You´re not even one tiny bit mad or angry with me? I´d understand if you were. You are more than entitled to…"

"I will not hang up on you, Louis. I don't want to hang up because I am not mad. I just… geez, I just want you back, okay? That´s it."

The redhead groaned. "You can´t be real. You just can´t."

"Hey, don't go there again. Besides, you know darn well…"

"Who are you talking to?"

Kazuhiko jumped at the sound of Ryoko´s voice. He turned and looked down at his sister.

"Um… when did you come out of the store?" he replied.

"A minute ago. Isao told me you´d gone off to attend a call and I come here to find you grinning like a complete dork." She eyed the phone. "Who is it?"

"Ah, Ryoko-san´s there. Do you think she´d be okay talking t me?" Louis said in his ear.

Kazuhiko passed Ryoko the phone right away.

She narrowed her eyes, took the phone and pressed it against her ear. "He…" She went silent for a couple of seconds, then she almost yelled, "Louis-san! It´s so good to hear you!" and she walked even farther away.

The male brunette sighed. He could take a hint.

He walked back to Isao, but something must have been showing on his face because the elder said, "Good news, I take it?"

His lips quirked. He cleared his throat. He tried to keep a serious face… but in the end he laughed.

"I think so. I think Louis will be coming home soon," he said.

However, it wasn't until Ryoko returned with his cell phone that he realized all he had were hopes and thoughts. He and Louis hadn't really talked about anything… and who knew when he was going to call again!

Ryoko noticed his panic because she said, "Calm down, Kaz. Louis-san will call again. In fact, he asked if you were willing to Skype with him tonight."

Kazuhiko stared at her. "How come he didn't tell me himself?"

"Well, it appears you both got distracted, and I made him hang up because his credit was definitely running out."

"Nee-san!"

"I was being considerate! But like I said, don't worry. He wants to talk to you tonight. Oh, and he also said to assure you he is coming home soon. He wants to be back by the 19th."

"The 19th?" Kazuhiko blinked.

She smiled. "Yep. It looks like I´ll have to rearrange your birthday plans to something that suits you both." With a giggle and a wink she strode off.

The brunette turned to look at Isao. "She had my birthday celebration planned already?"

Isao almost smiled. "I don't know," he lied, shrugged, then went after his wife.

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Louis laughed for the first time in weeks when the phone call with the Akiyamas was over. Oh, he´d missed Kazuhiko so much, and even Ryoko. She was like family now: the older sister he´d never had. And Kazuhiko… well, no explanation was needed.

Feeling good and since this call had gone so well, Louis decided he´d call Masaomi. He´d intended to make both calls in the morning, but like he´d told Kazuhiko he had chickened out. He´d been afraid of what his boyfriend would say, and now he knew he shouldn't have been. Kazuhiko wasn't mad at him. Their call had been pretty much meaningless, but he hoped the two of them could Skype later in the day and talk like they should.

"I don't deserve him," the redhead muttered, then placed the call to his brother.

Four rings came before Masaomi´s sleepy voice came. "Louis?"

He swallowed. "Hello, Masaomi-nii-san. Were you asleep?"

"Yeah. I had the night shift yesterday and again today." There was some rustling. "Never mind, though. I´m glad you´ve finally called back."

"It was time to let you know I was fine. I´m sorry, Masaomi-nii-san, for causing you more trouble with the family."

"How do you know there was trouble?"

Louis flinched. "Call it a feeling."

Masaomi yawned. "It´s okay. It´s not your fault. Subaru and Ema told me all about it, and Hikaru helped me figure out why you decided to run away. Had some issues with your adoption, again?"

"Yes."

"Mm-hmm. But you calling means you´re feeling better, isn't it?"

"Yes," Louis repeated.

"That´s good to know. Have you called Akiyama-san? He´s been running around in circles since you left."

"I… ah, called him before calling you."

Masaomi kept quiet, then he sighed. "Ah, Louis, you left Dad in second place, didn't you? I´m hurt, kid," he said with fake indignation.

The redhead laughed again.

The elder let out a chuckle too. "It´s understandable why you called him first, Louis, but I´m glad you called me too. Does this mean you´re read to come back home?"

"I wish to be back in Tokyo by December 19th, but I don't think I´ll go to the Sunrise Residence until Christmas Eve. I want to talk to everybody, and I think the date gives me some sort of advantage."

"Huh. Why December 19th?"

"Kazuhiko will be turning twenty-three that day."

"Oh." Masaomi sounded surprised, then he cleared his throat. "Alright. If that´s your plan I´ll support you. However, when you get here and if things don't go to hell, I will pull your ears as hard as I can for not telling me what happened and what were you going to do yourself. Plus, I expect a detailed report of this trip you took, am I making myself clear?"

Louis swallowed, nodded. He hadn't heard that tone in many years. It told him Masaomi meant business.

"Yes, Masaomi-nii-san."

"Good, keep it in mind. Now." There was some more rustling, this time of paper. Masaomi muttered something unintelligible before announcing, "The STD results finally came back a few days ago. I was going to hand them over to Akiyama-san soon but since you called…"

"Haven´t you looked at them?" Louis asked.

"Of course not. There´s something called doctor-patient confidentiality, you know."

"Hmm." Louis mulled the issue over, then shrugged. If either he or Kazuhiko had any STDs it was too late. They´d already had unprotected sex, so whatever was done was done.

Therefore he said, "Can you read the results out to me?"

"Sure." Masaomi sounded a bit too willing. More rustling, then silence as the elder read. After a couple of minutes he gave hummed. "It all tests negative. HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, sclerosis… yep, you´re both good to go."

"Okay," Louis said.

"Okay? What do you mean 'okay'? Aren´t you going to…?"

Sensing where this could go, Louis decided he´d stop the conversation here.

"Masaomi-nii-san, would you mind if I called you back tomorrow? I have… something to do."

"Huh? Oh. Um, I don't see why not."

After a few more seconds of chatting and saying goodbyes, Masaomi hung up. He frowned at his phone, then at the test results.

"Okay," he murmured, and he frowned harder.

Okay.

That simple answer…

His eyes flew wide when realization dawned on him. He snorted, then glanced at the test results again.

"I might have to get Akiyama-san a present for his birthday," he murmured. He wouldn't even have to go far to get it. The hospital pharmacy would have everything he needed, he supposed.

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Masaomi left his room soon after the call with Louis ended. He had to be at the hospital at six on the dot and it was five minutes until five in the afternoon.

Still tired, he went to take a shower. When he was done, he took his workbag and went up to the kitchen. He was used to getting dinner on his way to work, but he was already running late and it´d be easier to just grab some leftovers from the fridge and then go straight to the hospital.

He was just entering the kitchen when he heard his name being called.

He turned. Ema stood a few feet across from him with a bento in her hands. She looked uncertain and kind of scared.

"Yes?" he asked with as much caution. He closed the fridge and stared at her.

"Wataru-chan and I made a bento for you. He said he didn't like how much you´ve been eating out lately, so he asked me to help him make you a decent meal." She held it out.

Masaomi blinked, then stepped forward and took it. "Thank you," he said, put it in his bag and tried to walk past her.

However, Ema said, "Masaomi-san, can I ask you something?"

He came to an abrupt halt. "Yes?" he answered with a sigh.

"I… I walked by your room a short while ago. I heard you talking to someone…" When the elder raised an eyebrow she waved her hands, "I didn't eavesdrop, I swear! I just caught a few words and walked past." She looked at the floor. "But what I heard… it was Louis-san, wasn't it?"

Masaomi´s gaze leveled on her. "Is there a specific reason you wish to know?"

She bit her lip. "He´s been gone for almost a month, and it´s my fault. I want to know if he´s coming back soon because I need to apologize to him and to… Kazuhiko-san. I need to tell them I never wanted to come between then and that I still like Kazuhiko-san but that´s no reason to make the Asahinas…"

"Ema," he interrupted, "Ema, look, I´m not the one you should be sharing those thoughts with. Wait until Louis comes back, talk to him and set things straight with my brothers. Make Subaru stop acting like a child, and Natsume as well."

She blinked at him.

Masaomi just gave her a nod. "If you really want to apologize to Louis that´s what you have to do, and you know it."

"But you…"

"All I want is for the family to get along like they did before. I´ve had enough of all these romantic troubles, and I won´t lie to you… I want peace to come back into this household again. Now, if you´ll excuse me I have a job to go to."

Masaomi went for the elevator. He was about to call it when the doors slid open. Fuuto stood inside, and he smiled with his typical arrogance when he saw the eldest brother.

"I´m home, Masa-nii," Fuuto announced.

The eldest stared… then he sighed. "Good to see you, Fuuto." He sounded as tired as he felt. Why? Because Fuuto´s presence and Louis´s situation allowed him to see into the future in a split second. It was not a pretty future at all.

Fuuto snorted at the answer. He opened his mouth to answer, but then he caught glimpse of Ema. His expression turned almost predatory.

"Oh, if it isn't my _stupid and beautiful nee-san_," Fuuto purred. He ignored Masaomi and stalked in her direction.

The eldest Asahina sighed. He got into the elevator and shook his head.

Yep, the future wasn't going to be either pretty or peaceful. With Fuuto around, it was going to be the other way around.

"I need a vacation myself," Masaomi muttered as he rubbed his temples.

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Kazuhiko didn't know how long they´d been talking. It could have been one hour; it could have been three. The truth was he didn't care.

Not the tiniest, littlest bit.

"Why do you keep staring at me?"

The brunette blinked at Louis´s amused question, then he grinned at his boyfriend through his laptop screen.

"The truth?" he murmured.

Louis leaned closer to the camera on his own computer, hands cupping his chin, elbows on the table. "Please," he replied.

"I´ve missed you."

"You said that before."

"It´s the truth. I´ve missed seeing you, listening to you, talking to you… I´ve missed having you close."

Louis felt as his cheeks turned pink. Geez, first face-to-face meeting and he was already blushing. Damn Kazuhiko.

Or rather not damn him in the least.

"You´re still tease, Kaz," he said.

The brunette winked at him. "I missed that too, your loving pet names."

The redhead laughed.

Kazuhiko watched him laugh, enjoyed the view and the sound. He let out a relieved sigh. It did look like Louis was alright, and this meant he would come soon.

They´d talked already, so he knew this was a fat. Louis had told him about his issues with adoption, why he decided to leave Tokyo, what he´d been doing the past three weeks, where he was and all the explanations Louis owed him. He´d tried to apologize too, but the brunette told him he would not accept any apology until Louis was back in Tokyo and he could squeeze the life out of him with a hug.

They´d also talked about how Kazuhiko had been. He´d been a wreck the first week. After that, he´d turned into some type of hermit and had sulked all the time. Ryoko being Ryoko had tried to slap some sense into him. When the maiming didn't work she decided to act kinder, except her definition of kinder meant dragging him around wherever she went.

Apart from that, Kazuhiko had teased Louis to no end about the fact he wanted to be back by his birthday.

"I thought you´d forgotten about it," he admitted, "and that you wouldn't notice until Facebook sent you a notification about it."

Louis looked offended. "You don't think much of me, do you?"

"With how you looked when you left Tokyo…"

Mauve eyes narrowed to slits. "And you were the one who told me I had little faith in you. Come on, like I´d forget such an important date. The reason I don't stay here until next year is both because of you and because of Christmas, but especially because of you. It´d be unforgivable, not spending your birthday with you." Louis raised both eyebrows at him. "Is there something you particularly need or want?"

"No. I don't need anything, but I do want you to come back as soon as possible. Can that be my birthday present, because I´m pretty sure that´s why you asked me?"

"… You´re even cheesier and sweeter than usual, but no. That doesn't count as a present. Anything else?"

The brunette shrugged.

Louis wrinkled his nose. "Fine, I´ll think it through. With some luck I´ll get you something you like."

Kazuhiko laughed. "You don't need to bring anything, Louis."

"What if I want to?"

"Then whatever you give me I´ll accept it with a honest thank you and a big smile."

The redhead´s expression softened. "You´re unique, Kaz."

"Thanks." He smiled. "See you in a few days?"

"Count on it."

"Call me tomorrow?"

"Sure."

"Great. I love you."

Louis had never felt as kitschy as he did right then when he heard those words once more, but he´d never so good either.

"Love you too," he replied softly, and then the call ended.

**To be continued…**

Oh God! This chapter came out so fluffy and dorky and I loved writing it, mwahahaha. I need to get these two back together, but with Fuuto coming into the picture we´ll have to see how it goes. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so much for reading!


	29. Chapter 29: Not Gonna Happen

**Chapter 29: Not Gonna Happen**

The train schedule had to be wrong. It had to be. Otherwise, why didn't it show tomorrow´s trains´ leaving and arriving times? It had to be some sort of mistake. Maybe someone had forgot to include them in the screen? Yes, that had to be it. It just _had to be_.

Louis looked around the train station for some sort of security guard or any type of employee. The one he spotted first was the woman at the gate, so he made a beeline for her.

"Excuse me," he said with his best polite smile.

She turned to look at him, then smiled back. "Yes, young man?"

"I was wondering, is there some sort of error with the train schedules?" Louis pointed to one of them. "Tomorrow´s train times aren't up there, and they should be, shouldn't they?"

She glanced in the direction his finger indicated. "Yes, they should."

"Why aren't they?"

"Because I´m afraid no train will be leaving Hokuto tomorrow, young man."

He stared at her for a good two minutes, then he said, "… Excuse me?"

She gave him a somber nod. "You see, the three main routes were damaged by yesterday´s snowstorm. Electricity has failed, the trains don't work and also the railway is completely blocked."

"And there is no other way to leave Hokuto?"

"Not by train, no. Like I said, the three main routes are blocked. Those three routes are the ones that open up into other parts of Japan, especially Sapporo and Tokyo."

Louis kept staring at her, unbelieving.

She didn't squirm under his gaze, only gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't look so shocked, young man. The crew´s already working on repairing the electricity and freeing the roads. It should all be done by tomorrow´s morning or by midday. That´s why the schedule isn't up. We don't know at which hour the first train will leave, so we´ll have to wait."

Louis bit his lip. "Tomorrow morning?" he said.

"If you ask my opinion, I would say noon rather than morning. If everything goes according to plan, the first train should be leaving at around one or two o´clock."

Great.

"Thank you for help," the redhead murmured, waved his hand in goodbye and walked out of the station. He went back to his rented room and took a look at all his packed bags. He was more than ready to leave Hokuto! He had planned on taking the first train tomorrow morning, which left the station at five am on the dot. Considering how long the ride back to Tokyo was, Louis had figured he would meet Kazuhiko at his apartment around twelve or one in the afternoon. He would sleep on the train so when he got back home he would be energized and ready to face Ryoko´s birthday plans with his boyfriend.

But now this happened.

What was he going to do if there were no trains going anywhere until tomorrow? Taking the bus was out of the question. He didn't know how to get back to Tokyo from where he was, and it would be useless to ask for directions. He was terrible with them, and he´d end up lost in… sheesh, Honshu, maybe?

Taking a taxi wasn't a possibility either. First of all, the ride from Hokuto to Sapporo would cost twice the money the ride in the train. Also, Louis wouldn't be able to fall asleep in the cab because if he did he had no idea where and with who he could end up.

Louis groaned, rubbed his forehead with his fingertips. This was bad, really bad. His plans had just been ruined, but he had to fix them somehow. No matter what, he had to be back in Tokyo by tomorrow morning. He told Kazuhiko he would, and he didn't want to become a liar, no matter the reason why he could become one.

But how on Earth was he going to move?

Louis let out a huff, sat in his bed, and put his mind to work. One way or another, he´d make it to Tokyo by tomorrow morning.

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Measure, place, cut, then fold, fold, fold and tape.

"Fold, fold and tape," Kazuhiko muttered as he taped the edges of the wrapping paper around the box he´d been working on. He folded the other corner, smoothed it out and reached for the ribbon. In a matter of seconds, he had created a beautiful and fluffy bow, which he taped onto the box.

"There," he said, then reached for another sheet of wrapping paper and put a new box on top of it. He began measuring carefully the sides and reached for the scissors.

Ryoko stared at him while popping peanuts into her mouth. She´d gotten a craving for them since that morning, but now she was wanted rice balls.

"Thanks for helping me wrap up the gifts, Kaz," she called, then walked over to the fridge to take out the rice balls Isao had left in a container last night. She took them out, considered heating them up. In the end, she began eating them cold.

"That´s gross, nee-san. Heat them up," was all he answered in a distracted tone.

"Don't wanna. Too much time," she said, and took a bite out of the first ball. It was cold and soft and gooey.

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow. He finished taping the paper to the box, then got up and took the container from her hands.

"You´re getting worse every month," he said, putting them inside the microwave.

Ryoko shrugged. "Thanks for your help with my gifts," she repeated.

Kazuhiko nodded at her, then went back to his seat. He took the ribbon between his hands. "I always help you out," he mumbled.

"Well yeah, and I thank you every time, but that doesn't mean I don't have to mention it anymore. Besides, you do it because you´re the best wrapper I know."

"You don't know how to give compliments, do you?"

She rolled her eyes, waited for the microwave to beep. When it did, she bit into a new rice ball. "What about your presents, Kaz? Do you have mine ready?"

Kazuhiko looked up to see if she was kidding. When he noticed she wasn't, he flinched. "No," he admitted.

"Hmm. What about Louis-san´s?"

"… No."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Today is the 18th and you don't even have your boyfriend´s gift? What´s up with that?"

The youngster finished wrapping the gift and crossed his arms on top of the breakfast bar, where he was working. He laid his head on is forearms. The truth was, since he loathed Christmas shopping he always put off buying his own gifts. He usually waited until the 22nd to rush to the stores and purchase whatever was left in the stores.

Ryoko had complained nonstop about his crappy gifts and lazy attitude since he was like fifteen. Nonetheless, he had never changed his ways.

This year he would have made an effort to shop at the same time as Ryoko –for Louis´s gift at least– but he hadn't for one simple reason.

He had _absolutely no idea_ what to give him.

"Why have you gone so still all of a sudden?"

At his sister´s question, Kazuhiko startled. He raised his head. "I…" he began.

"Don't tell me your troubled about what to give Louis-san. You never fuss over your partner´s present. Not most of the time, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, "that you don't give gifts much thought, not even the ones you buy for me. In case you don't remember, you used to give your girlfriends the first thing that you saw when you went looking on the 23rd. Curiously enough, you always returned with a beautiful necklace or a huge floral arrangement and a handwritten card. One time you even gave a girl a pair of pearl earrings."

"… I did?"

"Yes."

"I don't remember," Kazuhiko admitted.

Ryoko nodded at him. "That´s what I´m saying. You gave them great stuff but never thought about buying them in the first place."

"Maybe it was easy enough to give them gifts that I didn't even need to think about it." Kazuhiko frowned. "Plus, you´ve got admit it´s much easier to buy for a woman than for a man."

She gave another nod. "True. Giving a man a present is hell, but you don't have to necessarily _buy_ it. I mean, how about making the gift?"

"Uh-huh. And what would a handmade present be? A card?"

"You could knit Louis-san a sweater."

Kazuhiko threw her a murderous glance.

She giggled, grabbed another rice ball. "Let´s get serious, Kaz. You don't have the tiniest littlest idea what to give your boyfriend for Christmas?"

He began to shake his head, then stopped. He had given the situation some thought ever since Louis called to say he was coming back for his birthday, but he hadn't come up with a good answer. He´d considered buying Louis a watch, various books the redhead had said he wanted to read and had even considered getting a canvas, but none of the ideas seemed good enough.

The one gift he would like to give Louis…

"I´ve thought about going on a trip out of Japan," he said.

Ryoko tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

"A trip. Out of the country. Like going away for New Year and coming back in the middle of January."

"Oh. A gift vacation."

"Yep."

"And which places do you have in mind?"

"Paris, since Louis said he´s only been to France once and it wasn´t the best trip he had. Peru as well. Louis said he´d like to see some ancient ruins Hikaru-san told him about."

Ryoko wasn't surprised neither was she outraged when her brother said that. She knew Kazuhiko had the bad habit of indulging his romantic partners. His first girlfriend –for obvious reasons– had been the worst, and she had fought him tooth and nail to stop him from spending tons of money on stuffed animals and such ridiculous items.

With Louis it was different. As a man, he didn't care for gifts or sweet innocent gestures at all. He never ever ask for anything, and it made him uncomfortable to receive any type of present. Ryoko had noticed those things since he and Kazuhiko met, which was almost a year ago now. So, if her brother wanted to take them both away in some sort of stupid pre-honeymoon she wasn't going to object. They didn't lack the resources in the least.

The problem was getting Louis to accept Kazuhiko´s proposal. It had been hard enough to get him to Shizuoka. Going away on a trip to France which Kazuhiko would insist on paying was going to bite at his pride. It would be out of his comfort zone. The first thing he would say would be 'no' and after much prodding: 'I´ll go if you let me pay half'.

"Do you think it´s too much?" Kazuhiko asked.

Ryoko shrugged. "Personally, I´d love a gift like that, but Louis-san is another thing altogether. I doubt he´d accept it."

"I doubt it too, but it´s the best idea I´ve come up with." He looked at the watch above the stove. "Oh, I have to leave already, nee-san. I´ve got something to do."

"Ooh! You´re going to buy my present?"

He snorted. "No. I´ll come back tomorrow to help you wrap the rest, okay?"

"You won´t have time tomorrow for anything but your birthday celebration and Louis-san, Kaz," she said amused.

He grinned. "The day after, then. See you." He waved a hand and made his way out of the kitchen.

He walked out of the house and got in his car. If he drove fast, he[d make it early. If he drove like a normal person, he would get there in time. 'There' was the small café where Masaomi had asked him to be at six-thirty on the afternoon.

Kazuhiko had been surprised when the eldest Asahina called him on the morning and asked him if he was busy that evening. When he said no, Masaomi had asked Kazuhiko to meet him for he had something to give him. When Kazuhiko asked what it was, Masaomi just laughed and added Hikaru would tag along as well.

Cautious, the brunette agreed, and now he was on his way to meet both men. He wondered what was it Masaomi wanted to give him, and why Hikaru would go with his older brother.

Was it some sort of bad news? Were they trying to pull a prank on him? Or had Louis returned early and this was a setup so they could meet a day before?

Kazuhiko brightened at the idea. He rode to rest of the way to the café with the fantasy in his mind.

He was disappointed when he realized there was no Louis waiting for him inside the quiet place. The only persons there were a few other costumers, Masaomi and Hikaru. The two brothers had various wrapped-up boxes in their table.

"Kazuo! Over here!" Hikaru called, waving his arm so Kazuhiko would notice.

The latter would have pointed out he´d seen them since he went in but there was no point to it, so he walked over to the table and smiled at the two men.

"Masaomi-san, Hikaru-san," he said.

"Good to see you, Kazuo."

"Good evening, Akiyama-san. Please take a seat."

He did as he was told. He eyed the boxes. "Is something wrong?" he ventured.

Masaomi raised an eyebrow at him. "Would we be here waiting for you with gifts on our table if there was a problem?" he said.

"I don't know. With what happened the last time I spoke to either of you…"

"There is something wrong," Hikaru cut him off with a frown, "or I should say there is _someone_ who´s even worse than Subaru and Natsume. Do you know who Fuuto is?"

Kazuhiko looked back on his and Louis´s many conversations. "Um, I think he´s your second youngest brother. Louis said he´s in showbiz and that he even has a fake name."

"Asakura Fuuto. He´s a singer, and yeah, only Wataru is younger than him." Hikaru looked uncharacteristically somber. "You see, Kazuo, he´s always been a diva, and he returned home a few days ago. It´s been hell on all of us because of course he asked where Louis was and of curse Ukyo spilled the beans and _of course _the prima donna wants to kill you even though he doesn't know you."

Some loud coughs were heard from the table behind theirs. Kazuhiko was the only one who glanced back. He saw some brown haired guy coughing his butt off, or was he laughing?

"I understand," he replied, and focused back on the brothers.

"No. I don't think you do," Hikaru insisted. He frowned. "Fuuto despises you for trying to take that stupid girl away from him."

"I never…"

"I know, Kazuo. Everybody knows you don't give a damn about Ema. The problem, the way I see it, is that not all of us Asahinas are aware of it on the front our minds. Deep down even Subaru knows he´s being paranoid, but he won´t admit it. Jealousy blinds him the same way it blinds Fuuto-"

The man from before coughed again.

Kazuhiko didn't even spare him a glance this time. "So you´re telling me to be careful of him?"

"Well yeah, but more than being careful for yourself, keep your eyes wide open for Louis. Masa-nii told me he´s coming back tomorrow, and if he goes to the apartments I´m not sure what Fuuto will do to him to get back at you. Or how he´ll treat Louis if Ukyo told the little bastard the truth about him not being our biological brother."

"Oh, since those who are younger than Louis don't know, right?"

"Yep. I´m not sure something will happen, but with Fuuto it´s never wrong to take precautions."

Kazuhiko glanced at Masaomi. "Aren't you going to warn me, Masaomi-san?"

"I don't want to get even more involved in this situation, to tell you the truth, so no. I won´t say anything." The elder patted one of the boxes. "That´s not the reason I called you, though. I mean, Hikaru took the opportunity to come with me and update you on the situation, but I asked you to meet me so I could give you these."

"… Gifts?"

"Yes, one is from Wataru, the other is from the rest of the Asahina brothers who do know what is really going on and the last one is from me. Louis told me your birthday is tomorrow, correct?"

The brunette nodded.

"Well, I talked to the others about it and they decided to give you something. You are special to us, what with being Louis´s first boyfriend and all. Here you go."

"Happy birthday, caramel boy. It´s great to have you in the family, and we know Louis is in good and loving hands," Hikaru piped up, and pushed two of the boxes in his direction.

There was some loud and heartfelt cursing and growling from the table behind them. Hikaru huffed. What was with that loud man, anyway?

Kazuhiko ignored the noise. He blinked a couple of times, then smiled as if he were a little kid. "Thank you very much, Masaomi-san, Hikaru-san. I… to be honest I never expected you guys to know when my birthday was, much less give me gifts."

"We´re a good family, though we may not look it to you," the redhead said.

"I don't doubt it in the least, Hikaru-san, this is just… so very unexpected."

"Like Hikaru said, you are family, and we celebrate with our family," Masaomi said. He pushed his own box in Kazuhiko´s direction, who took it and muttered another thank you.

"Why don't you open it?" the eldest suggested, trying to look nonchalant.

Hikaru raised an eyebrow at his brother´s request. Kazuhiko looked surprised, then uncertain. "Um, should I?" he asked.

"Please," Masaomi said. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an already open envelope. He held it out. "I have to give you this too. They arrived the day Louis called for the first time since he went away. I told him about them and he asked me to read them to him through the phone. I hope you don't mind."

The brunette looked confused as he took the envelope, but horror slowly took over his expression as he processed the words and spread out the sheet of paper inside. His fears were confirmed when he noticed the paper contained the STD test results.

"Oh no Louis didn't," Kazuhiko said, mortified. He felt his cheeks flush, and he kept his eyes on the paper. At least neither of them had tested positive for anything.

"Don't look so appalled, Akiyama-san. In fact, looking at those results made me give you your gift. I swear on my very life I am not doing this to mick your or Louis, nor am I doing it with bad intentions. All I want is to help you boys. You may be embarrassed when you see my present but it will save you lots of trouble in the future, both public and private."

Kazuhiko began sweating cold. He looked at Masaomi´s gift as if it were something venomous. The object wasn't very big, which was a good thing, but what lay inside…

"Oh no," he repeated, then decided to get it over with. He let the paper fall to the table and unwrapped the box. When he was done, he lifted the top and peeked inside.

He blushed so fast and so hard it was almost dizzying. He felt as sheer shame showed on his face, and he hunched over his own body.

"I don't what you have in that box, Kazuo, but whatever it is I don't think it´s worth dying for. Breathe," Hikaru commanded after noticing the brunette hadn't inhaled in over half a minute.

When Kazuhiko didn't react at all, the redhead gave in to his curiosity and leaned forward to look into the box. When he saw the contents, a teasing smile formed on his lips.

"Is that strawberry lubricant?" he whispered, and pointed at the reddish bottle.

Kazuhiko slammed the box shut as fast as he could, hitting Hikaru´s finger on the way. Since it was cardboard, however, it didn't hurt in the least, and Hikaru burst out laughing.

"Oh, Masa-nii, I can´t believe you gave him all that. Where did you get all those packages, bottles and whatever else is in there? The hospital?"

"I tried getting all the things there, but in the end I had to look in various other stores," the elder said, unaffected by the others´ reactions. He was a doctor. Talking about intimacy was what he did almost on a daily basis.

"Masaomi-san," Kazuhiko complained.

The elder gave him a brotherly smile, then said, "I hope you find my present useful, but don't bother to give me any details," he said, and then added, "Happy birthday, Akiyama-san." He smiled as he said the last, because if he was honest with himself, he _was_ getting some kind of kick out of what he´d done, even if he hadn't meant to.

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Fuuto didn't like coming home. It wasn't because he disliked his brothers or something… not all of them anyway. Yuusuke, Tsubaki, Subaru and Hikaru were part of the reasons he did his best to stay away from the Sunrise Residence, but the main reason was he didn't like the commoner´s life they all led. Asahina Fuuto was used to the glamorous world of showbiz. He had lived in it since he was much younger than Wataru. He loved the fame and fortune. He loved being an idol. He hated coming home to find himself with his commoner brothers and cheap lifestyle.

Ema had made the visits more bearable. Fuuto _adored_ her. She was so pretty, so soft, so feminine and he could toy and mess with her all he wanted. She was the type of woman he loved, so submissive and utterly pleasant. Fuuto wanted to have her in every way he could think of.

She had some resistance in her, he had to give her that, but he enjoyed the chase. From the moment he lay eyes on her, he knew he would get her. It didn't matter over who or what he had to step. Fuuto wanted his sister. If he had to fight Yuusuke over her… ha. He would do better than fine. Yuusuke was an idiot as well as some of the other brothers.

He´d lived with said mentality ever since they went to the summer house and he chickened out of attacking her in her sleep because of love. He´d been a coward, and he didn't plan on being one again.

He´d thought he would have his chance this Christmas. Hikaru had interrupted them the last one, but he had hoped this one would be better.

However, when he came home he realized Ema was as oblivious as ever to him… all because some moronic guy named… something stupid and ugly, and that the man was Louis´s boyfriend.

Fuuto was disgusted. Louis was gay? Yuck. But on the other hand he wasn't surprised. He´d suspected as much since he knew Louis hadn't ever dated anyone before, and the women who did try to ask him out… well, Louis was always gentle and turned them down every time.

What made him mad, though, was the fact Ema liked Louis´s boyfriend. Was the girl really stupid? If the guy was Louis´s boyfriend it was because he was gay as well and therefore he had no interest in beautiful Ema. He didn't for a second believe Subaru´s brainless rants. He was sure the boyfriend hadn't tried to kiss her. Then again, the guy could be bisexual. Fuuto wouldn't have cared at all and would have kept on calling Louis´s relationship disgusting if Ema hadn't admitted she still like the boyfriend.

That was what made Fuuto mad. He sort-of-talked to her one day and she admitted she found the boyfriend cute. She even dared to tell him she would have liked to go out with him.

Fuuto saw red.

He bitched and screamed and taunted Yuusuke just because he was angry at Ema. He even yelled at Masaomi for not keeping the boyfriend away from the family, but the elder didn't pay him any mind, only warned him if he kept acting like a child he would be kicked out of the house. Masaomi had enough to deal with already. He didn't need any other problem.

Fuuto was still angry. He fumed and fumed and kept on fuming. One day, he heard Masaomi talking to Hikaru about meeting the boyfriend over coffee to give him his birthday presents. He would have asked to go along but apparently the meeting was being kept a secret from most of the brothers, so he decided not to ask. Besides, with what he´d done before, Masaomi would let him go.

Instead, Fuuto managed to get Subaru to agree to drive him to the place where Masaomi and Hikaru were meeting the boyfriend. Subaru didn't want to drive at first, but when Fuuto told him he could take the chance to kick the boyfriend´s butt only because Subaru didn't like him in the least… the basketball player agreed. Fuuto couldn't believe how dumb and easy to influence his older brother was but hey, this time it suited his purpose.

So that´s how Fuuto ended up sneaking into the café behind his brothers. He wasn't going to approach the boyfriend and stab him in the alley next to the café when the meeting was over, no… not yet. First he´d take a look at the enemy, and if Ema kept up her 'I know I shouldn't but I like whatever-his-name-is-san nonetheless' he was going to do something about it. No one would take Ema away from him, less of all a gay or bisexual guy with an unmemorable name.

He managed to convince Subaru to stay in the car. He went inside, hid behind a newspaper he found in an empty table –the oldest trick in the book!- and then he listened in on his brothers´ conversation with the boyfriend. The guy didn't turn out to be as ugly as he first thought. He looked sort of mature and goofy at the same time, and he seemed sociable enough. Still, Fuuto refused to accept Ema had fallen for someone as… common as him.

He coughed, laughed, snorted and cursed as some of Hikaru´s comments. He almost freaked out when the boyfriend turn to look at him. He was ready to begin a fight when he noticed no recognition whatsoever on his face.

Huh. The boyfriend didn't know who he was.

He smiled, and he was coming up with a plan when Hikaru said 'biological brother'.

Those words… Ukyo had muttered about biological relationships and lack of blood connections one day, when Fuuto complained once more about Louis and his boyfriend. This was the second time he heard some of the eldest brothers talking about Louis and what began to sound like adoption?

Could Louis possible be…?

A the thought crept into his mind, he frowned. He figured he could take a look into his mother´s studio and maybe Louis´s room as well. If there was a secret to uncover, he´d do it. If there wasn't then he would lose precious time of his.

However, if there was some dirt to dig up, he figured the information might come in handy sometime in the future.

Yes. He definitely needed to stick his nose on other´s people business.

**To be continued…**

Helloooo! :D So here is the next chapter. It came out way longer than I thought it would be, and there was so very little of Louis, hahaha, but well, I needed to set some things straight. The next chapter we will see much more of Louis and hopefully of Kazuhiko too. By the way, I hope none of you think I went overboard with Fuuto because the truth is… I really do think he is capable of anything to fulfill his own interests. Thanks for reading!


	30. Chapter 30: A Hundred Kisses

**Chapter 30: A Hundred Kisses**

Louis leaned his head against the train window and closed his eyes. He was tired, so tired. He was by nature a heavy and deep sleeper. He was unable to wake up early and he was also unable to pull an all-nighter. Louis knew he could go without food for a day or so. He had no problem with not eating. Sleep, however, was one of his life´s biggest priorities. Since he hadn't slept a wink since last night, he felt like _death_.

After having paced his room in Hokuto for about half an hour, Louis had made up his mind. He decided he´d take a bus or a taxi to the next city. There, he would board the last train out of Hokkaido, if any of them was leaving Hokkaido at all. Even if he had to travel all night, it didn't matter. He wanted to be there for Kazuhiko´s birthday, and he wanted it very much.

And he ended up traveling all night indeed. He took two taxis into the next city. There, he managed to catch the last train. By the time he did that, it was past midnight. The first ride lasted almost three hours, in which he was too busy making sure he wasn't about to get mugged by anyone on the train to fall asleep.

He arrived at another city –he couldn't remember the name– and to wait two hours for the first train to start running. He couldn't fall asleep in the station either and no way was he renting a new room for a couple measly hours.

By the time he took the first train, he was asleep on his feet. Still, he managed the next hour-and-some-change train ride without losing consciousness. When he got off at that station, he boarded the last train. It was six-thirty on the morning now, and he was three hours away from Tokyo, thank God.

"I´m so tired," he muttered. It was almost a whine. He supposed he could get some rest now that he was finally on his way back home, but he also knew if he fell asleep he wasn't going to wake up in at least five hours, and that would be fatal. He´d miss his stop in Tokyo and he would have to begin his trip all over again.

"Damn." It was the most heartfelt curse he´d uttered in his whole life. He kept his eyes closed. Oh, maybe a couple of hours would be enough to get back some energy. Maybe he would wake up before he missed his stop, maybe he wouldn't fall into his usual dead sleep, maybe…

His breathing had begun evening out, and he´d been about to lose consciousness for good when his phone rang.

He groaned, groped for it blindly and hit the answering button at random.

"Yes," he said.

"… What´s wrong, Louis?"

Oh.

"Kaz?" The name was nothing but a mere whisper. A part of his brain knew he should have just said, 'happy birthday, darling' or something along those stupid lines, but he was exhausted. He really couldn't handle lack of sleep.

"Louis, are you okay?" Kazuhiko asked, sounding worried.

Was he fine? Well, he wasn't sick or hurt, but he was exhausted.

He had to keep that to himself. Today was his boyfriend´s birthday, and he wasn't going to ruin it by being sleepy.

"I´ll be fine when I get there," he said, and before the brunette could fret he added, "I´m fine, I promise, a bit tired but fine."

"Where are you right now?"

"On my way back to Tokyo. I should be there in like two hours." Which reminded him: "Happy birthday, Kaz."

Kazuhiko went silent for a couple of seconds, then he chuckled. "Don't say it until you´re back here with me. I want a hug and a hundred kisses to go with those words."

"But…"

"No discussion allowed, Louis. No birthday talk until you´re in Tokyo, and I mean it. I want a hundred kisses."

"I am not going to give you _a hundred_…"

"Yes you will, because that´s the birthday present you´re going to give me."

Louis opened his eyes and let out a soft snort. "Uh-huh. Come on, you must want something much more valuable for a birthday present." Or so he hoped, because he had Kazuhiko´s real present wrapped up in one of his bags, and it wasn't a hundred kisses inside the paper.

"I don't want anything else," Kazuhiko insisted. "All I want is for you to come home safe and sound so we can take up where we left off. I´ve really missed you, Louis."

The redhead tried not to groan. He decided to change the subject. "You´re not going to be at your apartment, are you?"

"Um, no. Ryoko arranged for a birthday breakfast for our tiny family in a restaurant downtown. We´ll go there around nine." He gave Louis the address, and the latter drew a map in his head to find the closest station.

"You´ll call me when you arrive, won´t you?" the brunette wondered.

"Mmm-hmm. I sure will, and I´ll meet you guys…"

"No way. You call me and I´ll come get you."

"But it´s your birthday," Louis pointed out.

"So what?" Kazuhiko smirked. "Call me and I´ll go meet you, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great. I can´t wait to see you." With that last lovey remark, Kazuhiko hung up. Louis smiled at his phone, then closed his eyes once more. He nuzzled into the bulky train seat. He would take a nap, and a short one, so he could be in a decent state when he met Kazuhiko. If the brunette was serious about the whole hundred kisses thing, Louis figured he needed all the energy he could get.

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It wasn't until Ryoko asked him where the hell he had kept those clothes all this time that Kazuhiko realized that much care he´d put into his outfit on the morning.

He wore a long-sleeved checkered shirt done in blue tones, brand new black jeans and black shoes. Even his heavy wool jacket matched the rest of his clothes. One would think such simple clothing items were nothing special, but Kazuhiko rarely minded his clothes. Blue jeans and t-shirts were what he wore all the time, so seeing him in a sort-of-formal outfit was… interesting, to say the least.

"You want to look good for Louis-san?" she guessed, amused and proud. So the boy had some style in him, after all.

"Ah…" Kazuhiko scratched the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. "I didn't overdo it, did I?"

She beamed, smoothed out the front of his shirt.  
"No. You look great, Kaz. I´m relieved to know you can look good when you want to."

"Gee, thanks, nee-san."

"You´re welcome." She grinned up at him. "Happy birthday, Kaz."

"Thank you. By the way, Louis will be here shortly, so he´s going to be in time to eat with us."

"I thought he was arriving at noon."

"Change of plans." Kazuhiko grinned.

Ryoko rolled her eyes. "You´re sparkling, Kaz, and acting like a kid in Christmas morning. You must really be in love, huh?"

His grin widened. "Let´s go," he said, and stepped out of his apartment. The siblings wandered down the stairs, Kazuhiko asking her how things had gone on her last visit to the doctor and how the baby was doing.

When they got down, they were greeted by Isao, who patted him on the shoulder, wished him a happy birthday and gave him an envelope.

"An extra present from Ryo-chan and I," Isao informed him, hugging his wife to him.

Kazuhiko blinked at them, then opened the envelope. He took out a couple of tickets for…

"An ice-skating show?" he mumbled, trying to fight off a laugh.

"Yeah. It may not be the best present ever, but it seems like a good place to go on a date doesn't it?" Ryoko said. "Besides, since the two of us are only having breakfast with you because you have the rest of the day busy… well, Isao and I figured you could end your birthday with a date."

"So the show is tonight."

"Duh, of course."

He smiled at them both. "Nee-san, you´ve always spoiled me, but I didn't expect you to do the same, Isao-san."

"You need a night out, Kazuhiko-kun, what with being gloomy and depressed for the past month. Also and as Ryo-chan said, treating you to breakfast can hardly be called a gift."

"She´s been rubbing on you at long last, huh?"

Isao chuckled. "It was bound to happen at one point or another."

Kazuhiko sighed, then waved the envelope. "Thank you very much. You´re the best."

"Of course we are, old man," Ryoko said with a wink. She pulled away from Isao and walked to their car. "Now let´s go. The baby and I are hungry."

The men exchanged glances. Isao rolled his eyes. Kazuhiko snorted.

"Let´s go," he said, and headed for his own car.

Both cars had just pulled into the highway with the couple leading the way when Louis called to announce he was back in Tokyo, and asked for the place where he would meet the Akiyamas and Isao.

"Did you forget what I said?" Kazuhiko asked. "I said I was going to come get you."

"Kaz, you don't have to…" the redhead began, but was cut off before he could finish the first sentence.

"Name and address of the station you´re at," he ordered.

Louis hesitated for a couple of seconds, then muttered, "Fine," and gave him his location. Kazuhiko´s insides fluttered.

He was minutes away from having Louis back.

Just a few minutes away…

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Louis dragged his suitcase out of the way as fast as he could. Even though he tried not to get in anyone´s way, he still got pushed. He would have complained, but he was too busy making sure he got out of the train with all his things. It had been extremely difficult to travel with his suitcase, his backpack and the knapsack. He´d almost lost the knapsack on his first stop, and his suitcase had gotten stuck under the seats on this very train.

It had been a hellish trip. At the moment, he was tired and cold. It had been cold in Hokuto too, but he´d been able to bear it because he bundled up in as many sweaters as he could. For the whole train ride he´d wore nothing but Kazuhiko´s red sweater –which he´d pretty much taken as his by now– with a sweatshirt underneath. He was_ freezing_, damn it. He needed a parka, an extra pair of socks, a cup of hot chocolate and…

Lithe fingers eased the knapsack and backpack down his shoulders and let them fall to the floor, then a pair of familiar arms slid around his waist. He felt as a solid warmth pressed up against his back.

"Oh," he whispered in relief, and turned around. His arms surrounded the blessed source of heat. He closed his eyes and rubbed his nose the closest patch of bare skin.

A chuckle sounded right above his head. Lips pressed themselves against his hair.

"I could be a stranger, you know," Kazuhiko said.

"No stranger would hug me out of the blue. Not even my family would do such a thing." Louis basked in the heat his boyfriend offered a couple more seconds, then he pulled back. "Hi, Kaz."

"Hi, yourself." The brunette took Louis´s chin between his hands and tilted his head upward for a kiss.

Both their breaths ran out. Louis shivered at the complete and absolute warmth even Kazuhiko´s lips offered. It was wonderful, something he had unsconsciously missed. When the latter´s tongue touched his lips, they parted, and the kiss deepened.

Kazuhiko was the first one to pull back. Even so, it was only to stare at Louis´s flushed cheeks.

"I´m so damn glad you´re back," he said, and tried to kiss him again.

"Mmm, calm down. We´re in public," the redhead said, turning his head to the side.

"So? You owe me ninety-nine more kisses. What´s one more?" Kazuhiko leaned in.

Louis placed a hand on his mouth. "You were serious about that?"

"Dead serious. It´s my birthday present." The words came out muffled but understandable.

He rolled his eyes, lowered his hands and pecked the brunette´s lips. "I still don't believe you, but I´ll play along… _just not in public_, okay?"

"Embarrassed?"

"Not of you." Louis gave him a third gentle kiss to prove his point. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Thank you." Kazuhiko hugged him tight. "I´m relieved you´re back in Tokyo."

"Well, not being here for your birthday seemed like breaking a rule on an etiquette book somewhere…"

"Oh, so it wasn't because you missed me and thought this was the perfect excuse to come back?"

"No." Upon seeing the brunette´s devastated expression Louis laughed. "Just kidding, Kaz."

"Now you´ve turned into a tease. Geez, you must really have missed me, so you became one to soothe yourself."

Louis rolled his eyes for the second time in less than five minutes.

Kazuhiko grinned down at him. "You´re just in time to have breakfast with Isao-san and Ryoko."

"Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. I´m going to drag you around with me today until the day ends. After we have breakfast with them, I´m meting a couple of friends for a couple of hours, then I´m going shopping for Christmas presents."

"You haven't bought them!" It was more a statement than a question.

"Um, no. I hate shopping, but since I´ll be in the city practically the whole day… might as well get it over with. Oh, also, we have a date tonight."

Louis stared at him. "You´ve got to be kidding."

"No, sorry."

"… What date?"

"I´ll tell you when it´s time. Now let´s go meet Ryoko and Isao-san before she goes nuts…" He gave the redhead the once over. "And a parka for you too. You´re freezing to death. Come on." With that, Kazuhiko slung the backpack over his shoulder, let Louis gather the rest of his luggage, then grabbed his wrist and pulled them out of the station.

Louis walked behind him eyeing his boyfriend´s clothes. "That´s some nice outfit you have there, Kaz."

Kazuhiko smiled at him over his shoulder. "Oh? It was just something I pulled out of the closet."

"Uh-huh. In blue?"

"Yep."

Louis chuckled. "You look great, birthday boy," he mumbled.

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Fuuto had meant to do this sooner, earlier… but he hadn't found the will to get up around two in the morning and sneak into Louis´s room to search the place.

He hadn't meant to do it today, either, but he´d woken up at three thirty and in need to relieve his bladder, so after taking a pee, he went up to the third level, walked past Iori´s and Subaru´s room and slid as quietly as he could into Louis´s.

Turning the light would give him away if anyone happened to move down the hall. Therefore, Fuuto turned on his phone flashlight and took a good look around.

Louis´s room was as Fuuto remembered from the very few times he´d been allowed inside: simple decoration done in blue tones, lots of magazines, even more books and all the other silly stuff a professional hairdresser needed to work. The room had an empty feeling to it. Maybe it was due to Louis´s lack of personal items, the fact he hadn't visited the room in almost a month or both.

Either way, Fuuto didn't give a damn. He was there to search for some sort of evidence pointing to Louis being adopted if there was any at all.

"Now, where would Louis-nii put important documents like those?" he mumbled. He scanned the room in detail. His eyes landed on the desk.

Shrugging, Fuuto searched through every single drawer. When he came up empty, he put everything back in its place –he couldn't afford to raise suspicions– and decided to look through the bookshelf.

He had finished pulling out every single book an hour later, but he hadn't found anything there either.

Cursing, Fuuto shoved everything back into place. He kicked Louis´s bed with everything he had. The mattress jerked.

His eyes zeroed in on the bed. Could it be…?

"Ah!" he screamed in frustration when he was done searching between the mattresses. Stupid Louis and his stupid room with his stupid adoption. Could the guy leave them in a more evident place?

Scowling, Fuuto pulled the bed up against the wall. There, he found a box similar to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, except this one was completely made of wood.

He tsked, then opened the box. A heavy plastic bag lay inside, and inside the bag lay a manila envelope. He moved quickly, and was looking down at some documents in no time.

"Bingo," Fuuto said with a rather smug smile, staring at Louis´s birth certificate and his adoption one.

_Biological father: Gill Charbonnie. _

_Biological mother: -_

_Adoptive father: -_

_Adoptive mother: Miwa Asahina. _

Records of Miwa´s visit to the orphanage and Child Service´s visits to the Sunrise Residence. There were even some notes mentioning conversations with the oldest children about having a new baby adopted brother. A whole page was filled with Tsubaki´s childish enthusiasm about having a toddler in the house while Ukyo and Masaomi ponder about it.

So, it looked like those elder than Louis knew. Fuuto suspected those younger than him didn't. He, for instance, had had no idea, and he strongly suspected neither Subaru nor Iori nor Yuusuke knew, less of all Wataru.

"How rude, Louis-nii, you´ve been lying to us poor youngsters all our lives." He snorted. "Though I don't think you should be called Louis-nii anymore."

After skimming the rest of the documents, Fuuto put them back in the manila envelope and hid them under his shirt. He wasn't going to steal them or anything. No, he was simply going to get a copy of every single sheet of paper inside that envelope, then bring it back.

Just for his future and personal business.

**To be continued…**

Hi there! Blake here delivering the thirtieth chapter. Yay! :D :D To tell you the truth, I never thought the story would make it this far. XD Still, it has reached this point and this chapter, and I want to thank all the people who´ve been keeping up with the story; to those who´ve favorited, to those who´ve followed and to those who´ve reviewed. The story is thirty chapters in and more is coming. ;) Again, thank you all!

P.S.

Sorry for the lousy chapter name, and for making this chapter so damn fluffly. Hope you didn't hate it. :3


	31. Chapter 31: Don t Fuss

**Chapter 31: Don´t Fuss**

Louis didn't know whether the brunette´s attitude was taking a toll on him so soon because he was tired or because it had been almost a month since he´d felt his boyfriend´s energy. Either way, he was having a tough time keeping up with Kazuhiko´s enthusiasm.

Breakfast wasn't so bad, given Ryoko´s and Isao´s presence. After having talked to the couple, Louis and Kazuhiko settled down on their table. Kazuhiko and Ryoko chattered through most of the meal, but the younger Akiyama spoke much more than what Louis remembered he did. Kazuhiko also made sure Louis´s food wasn't cold or that he had enough coffee to drink. It was both embarrassing and amusing.

After breakfast was over, Ryoko and Isao said their respective goodbyes in the restaurant´s parking lot. It looked like the siblings wouldn't see each other until Christmas. When Louis asked why, Ryoko only winked at him. "You boys have a lot of catching up to do, and I don't want to interrupt," were her parting words.

The young couple waved as Isao´s car sped away. When they were out of sight, Louis shoved his hands deep into the pockets of the parka Kazuhiko had handed him as soon as they were out of the train station. He exhaled and watched as the air condensed. Geez, even though it didn't snow much in Tokyo, the whole city was a giant freezer. Louis even dared say Hokuto wasn't as snowy and cold as it was here.

He shivered, then threw a longing glance at the restaurant they´d come out of ten minutes ago. The place was warm thanks to the heater and the humans inside. He wanted very much to go back inside. He honestly wasn't a winter person, and since he still hadn't put on his extra pair of socks…

"Your nose is turning blue."

Louis jumped at Kazuhiko´s words. His hand reached up to touch his nose. It was warm.

"Hey," he protested, frowning at the brunette, who grinned and stepped closer to hug him tight.

"Your nose may not be blue, but you _are _shivering," he pointed out.

Louis snorted but didn't pull away. "Winter is cruel," he said, and slid his hands under Kazuhiko´s coat to press his hands against the warm shirt underneath.

"Agreed." Kazuhiko held the redhead closer. "Did you enjoy breakfast?"

"Huh? Why are you asking me? It´s your birthday; you were supposed to be the one who had to enjoy it."

"Oh, don't get me wrong. The food was delicious and it was nice to have my family together once more, but I want you to have fun today too, since I´ll be dragging you around with me all the time."

And there Kazuhiko went, turning his mother hen mode on.

"Mmm. Don't worry about stuff like that, Kaz. We´re celebrating you today, certainly not me. Please enjoy your day without fretting."

"But it´s your first day back, and I haven't fretted over you or anyone else in a month."

"You´ll have to add one more day to your list." Louis chuckled, pulled back and raised an eyebrow. "What´s the plan now? Are you starting your shopping strip right away?"

Kazuhiko made a face. "Nah. I´ll put it off as much as I can, but it won´t go past today… hopefully."

Louis raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, then?"

"I´m meeting a couple of friends. One is from high school, the other one from college. They phoned me like a week ago to ask if we could meet for my birthday."

"Ah, so you are receiving presents even though you said you didn't want any."

The brunette frowned. "People never take me seriously when I tell them I don't want anything for my birthday. This year even Ryoko gave me a gift. And it doesn't mean I don't appreciate the presents, but just being with the people you love on such a special day means a lot more than objects, you know?"

Louis blinked at him slowly. He reached out a hand and pinched Kazuhiko´s cheek.

"Ow! Hey, why´d you pinch me?"

"Just making sure you´re real Kaz. I can´t quite swallow the fact, yet."

"Huh? What did I do now?"

The redhead looked at Kazuhiko´s somewhat childish expression before he let out a chuckle. "So you want me to meet you at a mall later?" he asked, "or do you plan on visiting antique stores and such to search for your gifts?"

This time, Kazuhiko was the one who blinked. "What do you mean 'meet me later'? You´re coming with me, remember."

"But you´re visiting your friends, and you should do it alone because…"

"Why are you distancing yourself from me?"

Those words made Louis stop talking. He looked confused. "I´m not distancing myself from you," he said.

Kazuhiko gave a somber nod. "Yes you are. From the moment you stepped off the train you´ve been trying to find excuses to either make yourself invisible or to leave and go… hell, I don't know where. Why, Louis? Don't you want to be here with me?"

Well, that was a very dumb question. If Louis hadn't wanted to be in Tokyo he simply wouldn't be. He would still be in Hokuto freezing his butt of there instead of being here in Tokyo with the man he loved. However, for said man to ask him whether he wanted to be in the city or not, he had to be… acting like he was trying to get out of this situation.

"Oh," Louis murmured, having come to this realization. He pursed his lips, shook his head. "Kaz, don't be silly. Of course I want to be here with you."

"Then why are you trying to make yourself scarce?"

Why indeed?

"Um, I´m not very sure," he admitted. "I think maybe it´s because it´s your birthday."

"What about it? I mean, yeah, I´m turning one year older and it´s like a special day but it´s not that big a deal, is it?"

"I think it is." Louis pursed his lips again. "And I guess that´s the very reason why I´m… distancing myself from you. Kaz, come on. It´s your _birthday _and yet you´re fussing too much over me. Why not focus on your own self for today?"

The brunette stared. "But it´s your first day back."

"And I quote back at you, 'what about it?' It´s not like I´m going anywhere soon."

Kazuhiko kept on staring, then he sighed.

Louis had a point… and the two of them now had an agreement to make.

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The agreement turned out to be simple. Kazuhiko had to stop hovering over Louis as if he were a child and the redhead had to stop trying to bolt every few seconds.

Of course, it wasn't as simple to carry out as it was to say it.

Louis felt he was to blame. Him and his stupid intolerance to cold weather made him shiver, sneeze and exhale every few seconds. This made Kazuhiko ask him whether he was okay, whether he wanted another sweater, a coffee or a hug. If Louis said no, Kazuhiko would immediately start asking if he was alright and if he needed anything else.

Hence –and to make Kazuhiko calm down– Louis decided he´d bear the cold as best as he could It turned out to be the correct solution, because in no time, the two of them had left the restaurant and were now in front of a pet shop.

"I´m meeting Kimiko here," Kazuhiko informed him. "She´s been working at this pet shop since our junior year in college and when she called to ask me if we could meet, I told her I´d stop by her workplace. I already called her to tell her I´m here."

Louis appreciated the explanation, even though he was sure Kazuhiko didn't particularly owe it to him.

"I see," he murmured, and inched closer to the huge front window. His eyes roamed over the cages inside. The pet shop was huge, so there was a lot to see.

Louis began counting the animals inside. There were seven puppies, four kittens, a thousand fish, like two dozen turtles as well as hamsters and he thought he even saw a parrot…

"Kazuhiko! Happy birthday!"

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the feminine cry. He turned his head in time to see a tall girl with black hair throw herself at Kazuhiko, who caught her out of instinct… or so he wanted to think.

"Ah, Kimiko, thanks," the brunette wheezed out from the force of the impact. He returned her hug for a few seconds, then dropped his arms and waited for her to let go.

When she didn't and Kazuhiko could feel the mauve eyes on them, he wrinkled his nose and pushed her away.

The girl eyed him. "What´s wrong? You´ve always been a hugger," she said.

"Ah… I still am."

"Then happy birthday!" And she gave him another tight hug. This time she even kissed his cheek.

Louis watched as the scene unfolded before him, not knowing whether he minded or not the fact Kazuhiko was having the life squeezed out of him by a strange girl.

Strange for him, anyway, because Kazuhiko knew her from college.

He felt as his brow furrowed.

The brunette caught the gesture. He found it both amusing and appalling seeing such an expression on Louis´s lovely face, because he was pretty sure what had caused the frown.

"Um, yeah, Kimiko," he tried again. He put his hands on her shoulders and pushed. Kimiko went with it, but this time she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You´re acting strange," she commented, and put her hands on her hips. "What? You still find it uncomfortable we talk and stuff? It´s been over a year since we broke up. I thought we were on good terms."

Kazuhiko felt as his cheeks turned red. His eyes skated to the redhead, who was still standing next to the front window with both eyebrows raised.

"I… we… I mean… we are on good terms," he assured her, and rubbed the back of his head. "It´s just… see… I…"

Kimiko tsked at his sputtering. She´d known Akiyama Kazuhiko for about five years now, and she didn't remember him being the type to get nervous, much less of all over a small hug and a kiss.

And what did he keep looking at, anyway?

Her eyes followed his line of sight When she noticed the slender redhead staring back at them both, she tilted her head to the side.

"Do you know him?" she asked Kazuhiko.

The latter´s cheeks turned even redder. "He´s my boyfriend," he replied.

"… Your what now?"

"My boyfriend." He took a deep breath, then motioned between them. "Kimiko, this is Louis. Louis, this is Kimiko."

Seeing as he couldn't stay in the dark anymore, Louis wandered over. Unsure what to do, he settled for a weak smile and a shy bow. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Kimiko gaped at him. "You´re… you´re Kazuhiko´s… boyfriend?"

His own cheeks flared crimson. "Um, yes," he said. It wasn't the first time he told someone that, but given this girl was obviously one of Kazuhiko´s ex-girlfriends… it made things a bit uncomfortable.

Kimiko stared between the two men for what felt like an eternity. Louis didn't say anything because he had no idea what would help. Kazuhiko because he was kicking himself internally. He´d forgotten to tell Kimiko he wasn't coming alone, and he´d also forgotten to tell Louis he had dated her. He hadn't planned for this to happen.

"You´re serious?" Kimiko was the first one to speak again.

The men exchanged glances. Kazuhiko said, "Why would I lie to you?"

Awkward silence… followed by Kimiko´s, "So you´re bisexual?"

Oh no, he was so not going to have that conversation.

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Five hours later, Kazuhiko slid the trays of fast food on top of the table before sitting across from Louis, who only regarded him with amused eyes.

The brunette flushed. "Stop looking at me like that, Louis. When are you going to let it go?"

"Mmm, I´m not sure. Maybe next year?"

When Kazuhiko groaned, Louis chuckled. "I didn't know you could turn so red, Kaz. I thought you were going to pass out."

"How was I supposed to react?! I mean, Kimiko clawing _that _conversation out of my throat and then the two of you talking like old buddies…"

"She was a funny girl."

"Only because the moment she really believed we were dating she started talking to you like you were her best friend!"

"I did learn some embarrassing things about you today, yes."

Kazuhiko pouted. "I thought only women did that," he muttered, and quickly added, "I mean, it´s not like you asked her for any information. In fact, I noticed you tried your best to escape her attentions but she kept on blabbering and…"

Louis laughed…

"At least you got over your jealousy almost immediately."

… And then he stopped.

"I wasn't…" he began, but Kazuhiko gave him an impish grin and reached for his tray of food.

"Yes you were, Louis. I saw you when she first hugged me. I´d never seen you that upset."

The redhead frowned and didn't answer. Instead, he reached for his own food and started eating. He was hungry, and he was tired, since they´d just finished buying Kazuhiko´s Christmas gifts.

After the embarrassing meeting with Kimiko was over and she´d given Kazuhiko her present, the couple went to visit another friend of the brunette´s. Kazuhiko knew the guy since grade school, and the meeting had been fast and simple.

Afterwards, the two of them had hit the malls, neither of them too happy about it because Kazuhiko hated shopping and Louis didn't have enough energy to look around a gazillion different stores that day.

In the end, though, and after Louis had helped Kazuhiko make a list of the people he wanted to give gifts to and what they liked, it wasn't the nightmare Kazuhiko had expected.

Still, it had taken them over three hours to gather all the presents. After leaving them in the car, Kazuhiko had dragged them both to the food court to have a late lunch.

"You don't have to buy your presents, do you?" the brunette asked, looking around the place and grimacing at the thought of venturing back there.

"No." Louis shook his head. "I have my Christmas presents ready since the beginning of December."

"You got them in Hokuto?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"And you brought a gift for each of your brothers?"

At the mention of his family, the redhead looked away. "I have one for each of them, but I´m not sure they´ll accept them," he murmured.

"You´re spending Christmas with them?"

"Are _you_ spending Christmas with Ryoko-san and Isao-san?"

The brunette shrugged. "I don't know. The 24th I´m joining Ryoko and the Fujiwara family for a Christmas Eve dinner and some family partying, but I´m not sure about the 25th."

"Oh." Louis reached for his cup of soda and took a few sips. He pondered Kazuhiko´s words for a couple of minutes, then said, "Then that´s what I´ll do too."

"Hmm?"

"I´ll spend Christmas Eve with my family… if they want me there, that is. If not…" His mauve eyes looked hopeful.

Kazuhiko grinned. "You´ll join the Fujiwaras dinner party?"

"Maybe."

"'Maybe' means yes. So we´ll spend Christmas Eve with the Fujiwaras and Christmas day just the two us?"

"Unless you do plan on being with your family on the 25th."

"Uh-huh. Like I´d miss the chance of being alone with you." Kazuhiko reached over the table and gave Louis´s hands a squeeze. "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"As much as I´d love to have you come with me to see the Fujiwaras, it´s the holidays, and you should see your family… not all of them, but you know what I mean."

Louis nodded. "I do plan on going there the 24th. I hope I can talk to… Ema, Subaru and the others. Maybe we´ll get things sorted out."

Kazuhiko´s face sobered. "Do you want me to go with you?"

"I´m a big boy, Kaz. You go have fun with the Fujiwaras and I´ll go home." Louis squeezed back. "Whatever the outcome, we´ll spend the 25th just the two of us. I´ve missed being alone with you as well."

The brunette´s cheeks flushed once more. He fought the urge to lean across the table and kiss his boyfriend. Instead, he gave a second squeeze and said, "We´ll be alone later tonight. We still have a date to end my birthday."

"What are we going to do?"

"It´s a secret." He winked. "But it´ll be fun, I promise. And after the date is over…"

He and Louis would go to his apartment and end the day. Since it was Louis´s first night back, Kazuhiko planned on ending the day _well_.

**To be continued…**

Hi! So here is the next chapter. Ugh, it came out completely different than what I had planned on writing. It also came sort of vague; please forgive me. I´ll make it up to you guys the next chapter, which I´m sure **Tuliharja** already has foreseen in her crystal ball, hahaha. ;)

Thanks for reading!

P.S. **Ghost**, it´s great to have you back! :*


	32. Chapter 32: A Warning

**Chapter 32: A Warning**

Kazuhiko´s goodbye kiss was still warm on his lips by the time Louis trooped into the Sunrise Residence. Given it had been over half an hour since he´d seen the brunette, he knew more than the feel of the kiss, the knowledge of having someone to go back to if this all went to hell was what was keeping him warm.

At the same time, the fact he could turn tail and go back to Kazuhiko made him jittery.

"Honey, you don't have to do this…"

Louis grimaced as he recalled Kazuhiko´s last words. The 'honey' bit made him uncomfortable, but the other part encouraged his cowardice. The brunette had meant the simple sentence to be comforting; Louis had turned it into a lifesaver for one single reason:

Would his family want him with them on Christmas Eve?

He knew Masaomi wanted him there. They´d talked on the phone a couple of times since he´d returned to Tokyo. The eldest Asahina brother had made his intentions clear: he wanted the brothers together for the holidays. All of them.

He was also pretty confident Hikaru and the twins would have his back if a fight ensued with Subaru and Natsume. He doubted the rest of the brothers. He didn't even think Ukyo would let him in the kitchen if he went and offered to help.

"Should I really _be_ here?" he murmured as he stood in front inside the first floor. He raised his hand to call the elevator. His hand hovered over the buttons on the panel.

"Should I?" he repeated, and squeezed with his other hand the strap of the bag he had over his shoulder.

"Should you what?"

The redhead jumped at the amused and deep question. He turned and saw Kaname a few steps behind him in casual attire and a Santa had on his head.

"Kaname-nii…" he began, and couldn't go any further due to the blonde marching forward and giving him a tight, almost father-like hug.

"Long time no see, kid. Welcome home," the elder murmured.

Louis was, to say the least, shocked.

He stayed frozen in his brother´s grip. He jumped again when arms came from behind to hug them both.

It was Hikaru.

"Oh, I´m going to murder you for running away without telling me, Louie-chan, but not today," Hikaru muttered, making the blonde laugh.

Still too surprised to react, Louis let his brothers hug him. He´d gotten used to physical contact thanks to Kazuhiko, so this didn't startle him. He´d also gotten used to just… _allow _when he didn't feel like returning the gestures.

When Hikaru and Kaname both pulled back, Louis didn't make any comment about the hug, only smiled at them both. "It´s… god to be… home," he said, measuring each word because he didn't yet believe them.

Kaname grinned right back at him. Hikaru hit him in the back of the head before saying, "What´s with the stuttering? No need to be so careful, Louie-chan. This is your home, and we´re glad to have you back."

"You´re family, Louis, no matter what. You´ll always be. Don't forget it," Kaname added.

"Thank you, Hikaru-nii-san, Kaname-nii-san." Louis blinked. "Did Masaomi-nii-san tell you about…?"

"After much prodding he did tell us," Hikaru told him with a nod, then raised an eyebrow. "But let´s not talk about these sordid and terrible past few weeks." He raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here, Louie-chan? It´s Christmas Eve."

Louis stared at him. "What do you mean? I´m here because it´s Christmas Eve."

"Exactly! It´s December 24th. Why aren't you having dinner with Kazuo before enjoying the night Tokyo scenery and then spending the wee hours of the morning together in bed? I mean, that´s what Christmas Eve is all about if you have a lover."

Before Kaname´s and Hikaru´s gazes, Louis changed colors in a matter of seconds. First, he went pale white. Next, his whole face lit up like a… like a Christmas tree, the reason being Hikaru´s words echoed his morning conversation with his boyfriend.

"_I´ve been thinking…" Kazuhiko mumbled sleepily, pushing Louis´s long hair out of the way so he could press lips against his neck. The redhead reacted right away, tilting his head to the side, which made Kazuhiko tighten the arm he had around the redhead´s waist. _

"_Thinking is always good," Louis replied in a hushed voice, closing his eyes. His hands tightened on the bedsheets covering them both as he felt the brunette grind his body against his thigh from where Kazuhiko lay at his side. _

"_Mmm." The brunette kissed his way upward until his lips met his boyfriend´s. One of his hands kept tangling itself in the soft reddish hair. _

_Louis´s mouth parted. Kazuhiko slid his tongue inside, then remembered what he´d been about to say and pulled back ever so slightly. _

"_I´ve been thinking," he repeated-gurgled, "about changing our holiday plans."_

_The redhead cupped the back of Kazuhiko´s head and deepened the kiss again. "Oh?" In the past few days, Louis had grown to like kissing much more than he used to before he left for Hokuto. It could be due to the fact the two of them had barely gone out since the 19__th__ and had instead dedicated to being together. Kazuhiko liked to say they were making up for the time lost. Louis knew it was just the two of them having nothing important to do and yes not seeing each other in almost a month too._

"_Yeah… I thought… maybe we could…" With a light chuckle, Kazuhiko decided to break the kiss once and for all. He drew back and then buried his face in the other man´s neck. "How about we spend Christmas Eve like most couples do?"_

"_Meaning?_

"_You don't know."_

"_No." Louis turned onto his side and hugged the brunette to him. "I´ve never really paid attention to what couples do for the holidays. Maybe my brothers mentioned it at one point or another but it´s possible I didn't listen to them either."_

"_Haven´t you ever read manga, Louis?"_

"… _Have you?"_

"_Ryoko kept her stash under her bed. What type of little brother would I be if I didn't snoop and wreaked havoc into her room at least once?"_

"_A nice one?"_

"_Uh-huh." Kazuhiko snorted. "Anyway, look. Most couples on Christmas Eve spend the night out in the city: dinner, sight-seeing…"_

"_I get it. And then we see the Christmas sunrise in the city?"_

"_Pretty much. What do you think?"_

"_I think…" Louis hugged his boyfriend tighter, enjoying being the hugger and not the hugged one for once. "I think we should talk about this in another moment."_

_Kazuhiko´s eyes met his. The caramel brown orbs twinkled with mischief. "And why later?" he murmured. _

"_I´m just not in a talking mood, you know…?" _

"We, uh, agreed it´d be better to spend the 24th with our families and the 25th with each other. We… ah," Louis flushed again as his brother´s scrutiny grew with each word he said and as he recalled that little scene in his mind one more time.

"We have plans for New Year already and we… won´t be in Tokyo starting tomorrow," he finished in a rush. Kazuhiko had told him about the plans he´d made of going out of the city –the brunette had actually said country but Louis liked to think he´d exaggerated– even though he hadn't specified _where _they would go. Still, the redhead trusted his boyfriend enough to let the enigma stand until tomorrow.

Kaname´s eyebrows went up. Hikaru laughed. "And where will you spend…?"

"Louis-nii-san, welcome home."

The three men turned at the sound of Iori´s voice, who gave them one of his rare smiles and waved a hand.

Louis couldn't help but smile back. "It is nice to be home, Iori-kun."

The youngster looked around and over the other three brothers, as if searching for something. When he didn't find what he was looking for, Iori frowned. "Where is he?" he asked Louis.

"Who?"

"Kazuhiko-nii-san, obviously. I thought you were going to bring him around for Christmas."

The redhead blinked at him, looked at the ground. "Given at the circumstances, it would have been suicidal to bring Kaz back home," he murmured.

Kaname also looked at the ground. Hikaru fumed. Iori just raised an eyebrow.

"Louis-nii-san," he said.

"Mmm?"

"You shouldn't mind Ema and the others. They´re not worth your time, much less your happiness."

"… Huh?"

The youngest shrugged. "You´re happy with your boyfriend, aren't you? If that´s the case then why are you worrying and being careful of some of your brothers? What matters is many of us are on your side, and that from what I´ve heard since I came home… well…" He gave another shrug. "Ema doesn't stand a chance, so maybe you keep that single fact in mind and use it to put her in her place once and for all."

There was a thunderous silence on the first floor, while both Kaname and Louis stared at Iori in awed silence. Hikaru, on the other hand, almost beamed with pride.

"Hasn´t he grown up beautifully since we last saw him? I´m so proud of him," the dark redhead gushed.

Kaname narrowed his eyes. "What ideas have you been putting inside his head?"

"Nothing but the truth."

"You know, even though I agree with your version of the truth I´m not very happy about you brainwashing…"

As the two of them got into a senseless argument, Iori ambled over to Louis.

"Can I see him?" he asked with an angelic expression on his face.

Louis took a step back. "But I told you…"

"You must have some pictures, right, Louis-nii-san?"

Oh.

"Uh, yeah," the redhead replied. He took out his phone and handed it to Iori, who took it and opened up the picture albums without a word.

His actions seemed to catch Kaname´s and Hikaru´s attention because in a matter of seconds, they were looking over Iori´s shoulders. Louis would have been nervous about what type of pictures they could find, but Kazuhiko had suspected the phone would get stolen at one point in the evening, and had erased any embarrassing pictures the brothers could find… and overly stupid and cheesy messages… _just in case_.

"Just in case, huh?" Louis muttered to himself, and found a loving smile curving his lips.

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Masaomi was lying down on the fifth´s floor longest couch with his eyes closed. Wataru and Fuuto were fighting on the sofa next to him about… who knew about what they were fighting. All Masaomi was sure of was the fact it had to do with Ema. Otherwise, he wouldn't be hearing her voice telling them both to calm down and apologizing at the same time.

Good grief. That girl was like a drop of blood in a tank full of sharks.

Masaomi would have opened his eyes and would have forced himself to do something if he weren't so tired. To be honest, he didn't feel like having a Christmas Eve dinner. He´d had a rough shift at the hospital, plus they´d been understaffed due to most nurses having freaking vacations. He was exhausted. He wanted to go to bed and sleep late tomorrow…

"Masaomi-nii-san?"

He grunted his answer, but when he felt the tension in the room go up at least three more notches he sighed.

"What´s the problem?" he asked, rose to his feet and rubbed a hand over his face. When he finally opened his eyes, he found Louis standing before him with an unsure look in his face.

It was the exact same look toddler Louis had had the day Miwa brought him to the Sunrise Residence.

"Well, hello, stranger. Dad was worried about you," he said with a sincere smile.

Louis´s eyes widened, then they filled with absolute relief. "Masaomi-nii-san, I´m home," he said.

"Welcome back, Louie-tan! I hadn't seen you in so long!" Wataru cried, stopped quarreling with Fuuto and threw himself at the redhead.

"Ah, Wataru-chan, thank you," Louis mumbled, staggering when he felt the boy hit him, his arms wide open.

"Louis-san," Ema said. Her eyes watered on the spot. She didn't know whether to smile in relief as Masaomi had done or to grimace out of guilt. She was saved from both options by Fuuto snorting.

"Well, hello, _brother_," he said, and gave the redhead a onceover. He gave another smirk.

Louis stared at him, confused. "Uh, hello, Fuuto-kun," he said.

"How are you, _Louis-nii_? Have you had fun with your boyfriend? Because we´ve all been living a hell here, just so you know."

The redhead, Ema and Masaomi tensed. Wataru frowned at him. "Fuu-tan, don't be mean to Louie-tan and Kazu-nii."

"The boyfriend is not your brother, Wataru. Don't call him that. In fact, there is someone else who…"

"Fuuto," Masaomi said, voice low.

The brunette turned innocent eyes to him. "Yes, Masa-nii?"

"Be careful what you say."

"Why? Afraid I might say something… inappropriate?"

"Fuuto," the eldest repeated, and the single name carried a warning. Masaomi wasn't very sure what Fuuto wanted to say, but he´d heard the idol muttering something about adoptions since a couple of days ago. He didn't really believe Fuuto… _knew _and yet… yet he had a sinking feeling in his stomach.

Fuuto threw his hands up in the air. He headed for the kitchen. When passing by Louis´s side he whispered, "Don't hurt her again, _Louis-nii_. You may get hurt worse if you do. Just saying." With a snort, he left the room.

Louis was more confused now, but he was also getting a bit nauseous. One mention of Ema and he wanted to flee, or hit something. Whichever was easier at the moment.

Louis fisted his hands. He´d come here to talk and sort things out with his family, Ema and Subaru being the two most important. They were the main reason he was here. By God he would carry on with his plan.

"Do you need some time alone?" Masaomi asked, perceptive asl always.

Ema just looked at him. Louis said, "If you don't mind."

"Not at all. It´s about time. Let´s go check we have everybody´s gifts ready, Wataru," the eldest said, and dragged the boy away from the living room whether he wanted it or not.

Ema stood as soon as they were alone. She reached out a hand to him, her expression open and apologetic…

"Please keep your distance."

She froze in mid step.

Louis flinched, walked around her and sat in the couch Masaomi had vacated, putting his bag on the floor. She had no choice but to sit back down.

"Louis-san, it´s good to see you," she said shyly, just to get the words off her chest.

The redhead´s expression clouded over. "It´s good to be back," he replied.

"Did you return to Tokyo today? Masaomi-san never told us where you were, he just told us you were out of the city. Did you arrive on the morning?"

"No. I came back on December 19th." Louis scratched the back of his head. A sadistic side of him made him add, "Kaz was turning twenty-three that day. I didn't want to miss being with him on his birthday."

This time, it was her expression that fell.

"Kaz," she mumbled. "His birthday. Of course you wouldn't want to miss it." Her cheeks turned bright red. "Louis-san, I am very sorry}…"

Again, Louis cut her off. "I´m not here to listen to your apologies, Ema." Because he wasn't. He had not come all the way here from his little personal paradise to look at her crying like the innocent girl she appeared to be. He wasn't here to feel compassion for her. He was here to set the record straight.

Kazuhiko had suggested he just went to the apartments, hit Ema, Subaru and the others on the head with a metal candy cane, tell them to grow up and get it over with. It was a simple and it could be effective as solutions went, but it wasn't what Louis had in mind. His plan was a bit more crude and deep.

"But, Louis-san, I should…" she tried for a third time.

Louis stopped her by raising a hand. "You don't have to apologize for what you did. If you really do regret what has happened, then please give your attention to another person. Kazuhiko is with me, Ema. He has been for many months, and I will not lose him. Not at this point."

She recoiled.

Louis tried not to do the same at his own blunt and kind of possessive speech. It wasn't like he´d rehearsed what to say to her, but the words were coming out with ease.

"I don't know whether your feelings for Kazuhiko are genuine or if this is all a small infatuation, the type most of the Asahina brothers seemed to develop the very moment you moved in with us. I don't want to be mean or cruel to you, but you have to accept the fact what he and I have is not a crush, much less a simple infatuation."

He wrinkled his nose at his own corny speech, but he didn't stop talking. It was now or never.

"I don't have to explain myself to you, yet I find it necessary to tell you all this. Otherwise, this problem will just worsen. See, the thing is… I love him, Ema. I love him very much. You have no idea what he means to me, just how much I cherish him. He´s… he´s my boyfriend; the one person in my twenty-two years I´ve come to love this way. He´s the only one, Ema, and like I said, I will not lose him."

"Louis-san, I never meant to steal him away from you in the first place," she said.

Cool mauve eyes stared into shocked brown ones. "Then what has all this scandal been about? A mere crush?"

Ema´s cheeks turned red. "Kazuhiko-san is a good man," she whispered. "He´s different from all of the brothers."

"How do you know that? How much time have you spent with him?"

"… Not much."

"_Then_ _why is all this happening_? I understand you don't return any of my brothers´ feelings, and it´s fine, but why did you have to… cling to Kazuhiko? The two of us talked about this. I told him I didn't mind if you had taken a liking to him. At the moment, it seemed like a harmless attraction. But then Subaru-kun got the wrong idea about you two and…" Louis rubbed his temples.

"I didn't want any of that to happen," Ema said.

"Then what was it you wanted? What did you expect? Kazuhiko leaving me to date you? Him batting my brothers away and him taking care of you?"

"I never thought of such a thing so deeply."

"But you did think of some other simple things."

Ema looked at the floor.

Louis sighed. "As much as I hate to say it, I can picture those scenarios and the one I described happening. He´s a mother hen; it´s his nature."

"And would it be a bad thing to want Kazuhiko-san?"

"Since he was taken from the beginning, yes." The redhead laid his elbows on his thighs and cradled his own face between his hands. He stared at her and felt nothing but exhaustion. Louis was tired of her, of his brothers too, but especially of her: her obliviousness and her selfish yearning.

Because really, what had Louis done to her for her to mess with his love life?

"I´m not here to fight, Ema," he said and even though he knew he was being repetitive he felt he had to make his point. "I´m here to settle things with you first of all, and I´ll do it by telling you for the last time: I love Kazuhiko, and I won´t give him to you."

"Not even if he wants to?" Subaru´s voice cut in.

Louis raised his eyes. Subaru walked out of the elevator and straight to the couches. He gave Louis a cold glare.

"Hello to you too, Subaru-kun," the redhead muttered.

Subaru´s expression didn't change. "So what is it, Louis-nii? You won´t let that man make any moves on her, even if he wants to?"

"Do you hear what you´re saying? Are you making sense event to yourself?"

"Of course I am!"

Louis sighed, then said, "Okay. I´ll answer your question with one of my own. If Kazuhiko were after Ema, if Kazuhiko wanted to do something with her… don't you think he would have done it already? I´ve been out of Tokyo for a month. I didn't contact anyone for the first three weeks. Kazuhiko had the chance to do lots of stuff, reach out to her in some way, but he didn't."

Subaru opened his mouth to say 'how do you know he didn't?' but then he realized how stupid that statement would be. If the stupid Akiyama guy had reached out to Ema while Louis was gone, Ema wouldn't have been as miserable and weepy and _guilty _as she´d been from the moment she lost sight of Louis in the train station. Subaru should know. He´d hovered over her this whole time.

Speechless at his own stupidity, all the dark-haired man could do was frown and divert his gaze.

Louis kept quiet. He was steeling his mind, controlling his breathing, just trying to keep peace within his own self…

"Tsubaki-nii-san, give it back!"

A laugh followed Iori´s childish complaint, then Tsubaki ran straight into the living room with Louis´s phone in his hands.

"Come get it, kid!" the twin called.

"Tsubaki-nii-san! Louis-nii-san gave his phone to me, and I´m not like you. I´m a responsible man unlike you, and _I _will give it back to him."

Tsubaki laughed, then spotted Louis just sitting there.

"Welcome home, and send me these pictures of yours, Louis! I have to make a collage of them and send it back to Kazuo! I can just imagine his face when looking at what I did," he said amused, then grabbed Louis by the wrist and dragged him out of the living room, ending half consciously –Tsubaki had heard Louis´s and Subaru´s last words– the tense conversation once and for all.

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Ukyo wasn't very thrilled to have Louis home. It wasn't because he didn't want to have his brother home. It had been too long since he´d last seen the redhead after all. What Ukyo was against was the effect Louis had on the rest of the family, Ema being the most affected one.

Ever since Tsubaki had taken Louis away, the lone female in the residence had lost both the ability to speak and the will to raise her head. Of course, this made half the family worry to death.

Which was how they all ended up eating their Christmas dinner in silence.

Subaru, Natsume, Yuusuke and Wataru were staring at her with concerned expressions. Ema appeared to be in her own world, her head cast down, her hand dragging her chopsticks across her plate as if she wasn't aware of what she was doing.

Louis hadn't touched his food. He was thinking, or considering getting up and leaving more like it. It wasn't like there had been any mention of the Kazuhiko situation after his talk with Ema, but the atmosphere was so tense and there were so many things unsaid. He felt like he didn't belong here anymore.

"Why does everyone look so sad?"

Wataru´s question made them all blink and look at the youngest Asahina brother, who pouted at everyone sitting at the table. "It´s Christmas Eve, but everyone looks as if someone just died," the boy went on. He pointed to Ema. "Onee-chan looks like she´s about to cry, and Louie-tan looks like he doesn't want to be here. Why? Why is everyone fighting?"

"Wataru…" Masaomi began, but the boy just slapped a hand to his mouth in sudden realization and said, "Is this all because of Kazu-nii?"

Uncomfortable silence… and Fuuto´s sneer, "I already told you not to call the guy your brother. He isn't family."

"But he´s Louie-tan´s boyfriend, and Louie-tan is our brother."

The brunette clicked his tongue. "Yeah, I wouldn't be…"

"Fuuto," Masaomi said in the same warning tone from before. The two of them exchanged glances.

Wataru ignored them and pouted. "It is because of Kazu-nii, isn't it? You have all been acting weird since Hikaru-nii told us Louie-tan had left town, or since before actually. I don't get it. Why are some of you angry with him? He makes Louie-tan happy. That´s what matters, right?" He gave the aforementioned brother a bright smile.

Louis blanched.

"Even if costs your beloved onee-chan _her _happiness?" Subaru muttered.

Wataru turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Ukyo, don't start," Masaomi ordered. The younger one glared at him but kept quiet.

Natsume –Natsume for heaven´s sake!– didn't. "He means, Wataru, don't you care that Louis is happy at her expense?"

Hikaru slammed his hand against the table. Tsubaki said, "Oi, that was uncalled for, Natsume."

"Was it? I don't think so."

"I don't think so either. You have to admit, Louis-nii, you are happy with your boyfriend because she is feeling miserable," Subaru said.

Hikaru slammed his other hand down. Louis couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Honestly, Subaru-kun, are you even aware of what you´re saying?" he asked.

"Don't treat me like I´m an idiot!"

"You´re acting as one," Iori put in.

Subaru glared. Yuusuke stuttered, "He´s just defending her. Iori-nii, nothing else."

"Defending her of what?! Nobody has attacked her!" Hikaru exclaimed, then pointed at her. "And you, stop acting like a freaking victim. Be a woman and defend yourself!"

Ema´s head jerked up. Ukyo got to his feet. "Don't you dare scream at her!" he cried.

Hikaru did the same. "I´ll scream to whoever the hell I want to scream at! And don't you dare defend her, you traitor."

"Oh, I´m the traitor here!"

"You and Subaru are the biggest ones here, you blind idiots. What you say doesn't even make sense anymore. Louis and Kazuo being happy at her fucking expense. Please. Those two were happy since before she came into the picture. Her presence is a burden to the couple and to us brothers as well."

"You tell me not to defend her. Well, you stop defending Louis!"

"I am not defending Louis. I´m standing up to you and picking a fight with you because I´m tired of hearing you guys treat her as if she´s an angel when she´s the exact opposite."

"Don't go around calling her names!" Subaru roared, and got to his feet as well.

"Don't you get involved in a fight that isn't yours," Iori said.

The elder turned to him. "Are you picking on me?"

"Since you are acting like a complete idiot… I´m afraid I am. I can´t let my older keep acting like this." Iori stood. "You´re being stupid and blind. The world doesn't revolve around her, you know."

"Yours did before you left the house," Natsume said. He looked at her Ema out of the corner of his eye.

"It looks like yours does too, but you have to face two facts, Natsume. She´ll never love you back, and she´ll never be loved by the man she likes," Azusa said, speaking for the first time.

Natsume glared daggers at him. "You stay out of this."

"Hey, don't you speak to Azusa like that!" Tsubaki exclaimed.

"Don't you get involved either."

"We´re all involved in this, Natsume. We can talk if we want to."

"Then why don't you let the two most important persons speak?" Kaname´s oh-so-reasonable voice came.

Everyone froze, then at least five pair of eyes apiece went to Ema and Louis.

The girl blushed under the attention. Her eyes glistened. She too, was tired of this situation. She was frustrated, she was tired, she was angry… she wanted to let it all out.

Louis on the other hand was pale as a sheet of paper. Yet, he swallowed hard before saying, "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to deal with this. I came here hoping to clear things with my family…" Fuuto let out a snort. "But it looks like it´s impossible. _Part of _my family won´t listen to me, and I can´t make them listen." Masaomi, Hikaru, Kaname, the twins, Iori and even Wataru were not the problem. Louis had to thank them for being so supportive and always being there for him. This wasn't the right moment, though.

The redhead took a deep breath. He looked at Ema. "I talked to Ema when I first arrived. She´s the only one I talked to in private because she part of the reason our family is fighting. Ema, you have to agree with that much."

The girl sniffled. "I agree," she whispered as if she were confessing the worst of crimes.

Louis sighed. "And I´ll repeat what I said to her. I do love Kazuhiko, and I will not give him up. It´s not fair that I have to stop seeing him just because she likes him. I don't know if she´s in love with him. I don't want to know. I don't care. Kazuhiko is with me, and he´s not trying to steal her from you guys. It´s also unfair that you say he and I are happy at her expense."

"But you are…" Natsume began.

"We met each other almost a year ago. He wasn't introduced to any family member until after we´d become a couple. Unless he´s an evil mastermind who still has a plan in the works to date Ema and love her in the near future, your excuse doesn't make sense. I´m sorry, but it doesn't."

"How can you be talking to us like this?" Ukyo uttered with indignation. "Can´t you see how much you've changed, what type of person you´ve become? And it´s all thanks to that man. You are creating discord within the family because of him."

Louis felt his face turn into a blank mask. "I wasn't the one who began creating discord between our family," he said.

There were gasps all around, and then Ema burst into tears. She began crying and sobbing like never before, her whole body shaking, tears pouring down her face.

"Oh please!" Hikaru exploded.

She sobbed even harder. "I´m sorry," she hiccupped. "I´m so sorry, everyone. I´m so very sorry, you have no idea how much. I… I never meant for this to happen. All I wanted was to have a family! And Louis-san." She hiccupped again. "I never wanted to cause you trouble. I just… I couldn't help wanting Kazuhiko-san. He´s wonderful and… and I… I´m sorry!" she cried, stood in an abrupt movement and ran out of the living room as fast as she could.

Fuuto, who´d been eerily silent throughout the little drama, gave Louis the darkest look he could muster. He´d warned the redhead about this. He´d told the older man loud and clear. If he hurt Ema in any way, he was going to get it worse. One teeny tiny part of him had hoped Louis wouldn't do anything, but the other part of him had been expecting it. This way, he would get back at Louis for making her suffer, then leave everyone in shock while he went and comforted her. Ema was in a very vulnerable state at the moment.

He had to take advantage of it.

And he would do it as soon as he was done crushing his brothers in one way or another.

"I warned him," he whispered to himself, smiled. "And what right do you have to talk about family, Louis… when you´re not part of it?"

The redhead looked at him. "Huh?"

"Don´t try to play dumb. You´re not a part of this family and you know it. You´re adopted after all, aren't you?"

**To be continued…**

So I´m pretty sure no one wants to read author notes after this extremely long and angsty chapter… but I´ll still write them. :P I guess I owe Tuliharja an apology because I did say this was the chapter she had foreseen and it turned out it wasn't. Still, I do promise the next chapter will be better… or worse, we´ll see. ;) Thank you all for reading and keeping up with the story!


	33. Chapter 33: Broken Bonds

**Chapter 33: Broken Bonds**

Louis´s heart stopped beating. Had Fuuto said…?

"A-Adopted?" he echoed. What little color had returned to him vanished in a split second. He swallowed hard.

Fuuto gave him a bored look. "Don´t look so shocked. We were all bound to find out the truth sooner or later."

"I…"

"Don't even try it, _Louis_. Don't pretend you have no idea what I´m talking about." Brown eyes shone with sheer and sadistic pleasure. "You are not blood -related to any Asahina family member. You never have been."

Masaomi slammed both hands down on the table with so much force he ended up rising from his seat. "Asahina Fuuto, one more word…" he began.

"That´s right, Masa-nii. My name is _Asahina _Fuuto, and this is my _biological family._"

"Fuuto!" Hikaru thundered almost in a panic.

The brunette ignored them both. He kept his eyes on Louis, who looked shocked out of his mind. Of course he´d be surprised. He had probably never expected Fuuto to know about his adoption, much less tell the other brothers about it.

"What are you talking about?" Yuusuke mumbled, and his confused tone mirrored Iori´s, Subaru´s and Wataru´s expressions.

Fuuto snorted. "Have you lost the few brain cells you had yesterday, you idiot? I´m saying Louis is not our brother. He´s not family."

"But he…"

"Why are you doing this?" Natsume –surprisingly enough– said.

"This is uncalled for, selfish brat," Tsubaki muttered.

"You don't have to talk about that," Azusa said.

"Oh? So you three are aware of what I´m about to say."

The twins froze. Natsume flinched. Not one of them spoke.

"Don't you play dumb now, Fuuto. If you have that particular knowledge you have the rest of the information," Kaname said, voice even.

"This is unnecessary

Fuuto clicked his tongue. "You also know."

"Everyone older than Louis knows," Hikaru snapped, fed up with the brunette´s stupid and cruel dancing around. He strode over to the younger male and glared at him. "Why the hell are you bringing this up?"

"What are you all bickering about?" Iori interrupted.

"I´ll tell you all in a few seconds," Fuuto said. He walked past Hikaru and went to stand in front of Louis. "Any last words?" he whispered.

The redhead could only think of one thing: "What have I ever done to you?"

Fuuto rolled his eyes and strode out of the dining room to return thirty seconds later carrying a thick folder between his hands. Since some of the brothers were too shocked and the others were too angry, none of them stopped him as he handed out various copies to Subaru and the other younger brothers.

It was when the brunette placed those same papers in front of Louis that Ukyo –who´d been letting all this slide out of sheer anger– realized Fuuto was taking this too far.

"If you want to say it then just do it. Don't be so dramatic," he grumbled.

"Ah, good evening, Kyo-nii. It´s nice to hear your voice again. And what are you saying? It was because of your drama a few weeks ago that I learned about Louis´s little secret. If it hadn't been for your mad yelling and ranting, I would have never known."

Ukyo paled.

"Of course this had to be your fault!" Hikaru screamed. He ran around the table and reached for Ukyo, who stood up but didn't back away. Their screaming match began. Masaomi groaned, hid his face in his hands. Kaname dropped his head onto the table. Tsubaki walked right out of the dining room. Natsume and Azusa got up to try and stop the fight between the second and fourth son.

Subaru was too overwhelmed to notice them. He was also too overwhelmed to read the papers Fuuto had given him.

"Louis-nii?" he murmured, and he sounded like a little child.

The redhead had frozen in his seat, his eyes focused on those familiar documents, those familiar records of where he´d come from and why he was here now.

"… You´re adopted?" That was Iori. He sounded confused.

"Adopted?" Wataru repeated, and his eyes were as wide as saucers. His mouth opened in a little 'oh' of… betrayal?

"You came here when you were two years old?" Yuusuke said.

Louis´s heart was hammering in his throat. He didn't remember where his mouth was, which was just as well. It was as dry as cotton. He couldn't use it even if he wanted to.

"… You´re not an Asahina," Subaru added somewhat outraged. He´d finally glanced at the papers.

"W-What do you mean he´s… he´s not?" Wataru cried. He was a kid, but he wasn't dumb. He´d already made sense of what he´d heard.

"Suba-nii meant," Fuuto said, "that the guy sitting at this table over there, see him? He´s not our brother. He isn't blood of our blood. Mom adopted him when he was a toddler."

Wataru´s eyes watered. In slow motion, he turned to look at Louis. "Louie-tan?" he murmured.

"You can´t call him Louie-tan anymore, Wataru. He´s not family."

"But how did you…?" Subaru began.

The brunette laced his hands behind his head. "How did I find out? Brilliant question, muscle head. Like I said, this is _all _thanks to Kyo-nii."

"So Kyo-nii knows?" Iori said. His eyes held at the moment an unnatural and atypical heat.

"Everyone older than Louis knows, Iori. Even Kana-nii. They have all been lying to us. Louis has been lying to us."

"No! You´re the one who´s lying!" Wataru accused. He pouted at Fuuto, scurried under the table to pop up against Louis. He took the elder´s arm. "He´s lying, isn't he, Louie-tan? You´re our brother, right? You´re Asahina Louis. You´re _my _older brother."

Those words pulled Louis out of his stupor. He wasn't thinking, '_I wasn't loved because I wasn't enough_' anymore, but a new thought now plagued him.

_I really don't belong here._

Mauve eyes met those of the youngest brother. "I really am sorry, but I am not your true family," he said, practically clawing the words out of his throat.

Wataru´s eyes watered. "But you´re my brother. You´ve always been."

"Of course he is," Iori said. "Of course Louis-nii-san is our brother. He may not be blood but he´s still our brother." He glared at Fuuto. "That´s never going to change."

"Kana-nii brainwashed you after you tried to kill yourself or something?" the brunette retorted.

Iori looked livid. He fisted his hands and looked ready to kill Fuuto, but Yuusuke´s words stopped him cold.

"Why didn´t anyone tell us? Louis-nii, don't you trust us?"

The redhead fisted his hands. "It never occurred to me to tell you," he admitted, because the thought hadn't crossed his mind even once.

"Don't you trust us?" Yuusuke repeated. He looked at betrayed as Wataru.

"It´s not about trust, Yuusuke-kun."

"You´ve always known?" Iori asked him. He crumpled the papers he had in his hands.

Louis shook his head. "I found out when I was twelve. Until then, I did believe I was Miwa-san´s biological son."

"And how did you…?"

"I found out by accident, and even then Miwa-san was reluctant to admit it and tell me the whole story."

The nineteen-year-old pursed his lips. "Why… why did you keep it a secret? If this wasn't about trust then what was it about?"

Louis mimicked the gesture. "I thought it would change the way this family welcomed me. I thought…"

"That´s the same as not trusting us," Yuusuke said. "If you thought we would treat you any differently because of your adoption then you didn't trust us."

"It means you don't trust us up to today," Iori said. He looked wounded. "But why? We´ve never…"

"Why are you all asking him stupid questions?" Fuuto cut off. He crossed his arms. "The point is he and the others lied to us. Louis is not our brother. He doesn't belong here. He´s never been family, and he never will."

The redhead trembled. Those words had stung. The worse part was no one told Fuuto otherwise. Iori was too confused to talk, Yuusuke was trying not to cry –or sniffle at the very least– while tears were already streaming down Wataru´s cheeks. Subaru on the other hand was standing there like a rock.

Louis felt this was his cue. Yes, he was being a coward and yes, he was acting _just like freaking Ema_, but… well, fuck all that! He was done here.

"You´re right. I shouldn't be here. My apologies for ruining your Christmas Eve. It will not happen again. I´ll make sure of it." He got to his feet, and before any of his brothers –older or younger– could even attempt to stop him, Louis was already out of the dining room and hallway across the living room

Wataru bounded after him. "Louie-tan!"

"No, let me handle this!" Ukyo roared, grabbed the boy´s arm and stopped him right in his tracks.

"Let me go!" Wataru retorted with a yell. He struggled, but Masaomi´s hands on his shoulders froze him.

"I know you want to help Louis, Wataru. However, you can´t fix this… not you." He gave Ukyo a good and heavy glare. The blonde flinched, nodded, then went off after Louis.

The eldest brother turned to Fuuto. "Tell your agent or manager or whatever to book you a room in a hotel. I want you out of the house in ten minutes," he said.

The brunette blinked, his satisfied smirk disappearing from his face. "Huh?"

Masaomi kept his expression blank. "You heard me. I want you to leave the Sunrise Residence immediately."

"Like hell you can kick me out. This is _my _house."

"Correction. This is mom and dad´s house. Not yours."

"And with what right do yo tell me to get out if this isn't your house either?"

"With the right that I raised you, Fuuto, and I don't ever recall bringing you up to be so selfish and cruel." Masaomi took a deep breath. "Gather your things and get out."

"But…"

"I warned you."

Fuuto jerked as if he´d been slapped.

_I warned you. _

Goddamned irony.

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"Louis!"

Even though he heard his name being called, the redhead didn't stop his walking. He got into the elevator. The doors closed right in front of Ukyo´s face. At this point, though, Louis didn't care. He fisted his hands and tried his best to breathe evenly.

By the time he got to the first floor, he was trembling. His knuckles were white. His throat felt tight.

"Oh, don't be so weak," he scolded himself. He stepped out and headed for the main glass doors. He´d gotten out of the building and was walking right past the tree when he heard his name being called again. He ignored the voice, focusing on not crying.

"Louis!" came the yell a third time. A hand landed on his shoulder. He was spun around and came to face with an agitated Ukyo.

"What?" Louis ground out with a trembling, almost broken, voice.

"I never meant for Fuuto to find out," the blonde said.

Louis felt like screaming… and hitting Ukyo or whoever stood in his way across the face.

"No one ever means to do anything," he muttered. "No one wants to cause trouble. No one wants to bother other persons. No one wants to take responsibility later. No one, myself included… and then it has the opposite effect. _God_!" He wailed the last word and faced forward again. He was going to cry any moment now. He didn't want to be anywhere near this place when the tears came.

"Louis…" Ukyo tried for the umpteenth time, but the redhead gave him the coldest look he could muster. Which wasn't very cold at all given his state.

"I´m done with all this, Ukyo-san, and it´s time you all be done with me. I don't belong here. I never have. I will stop troubling you with my presence and what it implies from today onwards." The redhead gave a rather shallow bow, then walked out of the Sunrise Residence. It looked like it was going to be the last time.

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Fuuto was still cursing Masaomi and his damn father complex by the time he stomped out of the Sunrise Residence.

"What a traitor. Putting an adopted bastard before his own flesh and blood. Damn him and all the others to hell," he muttered, blowing his bangs away from his eyes. His lips curved up in disdain.

"You."

He stopped walking and raised an eyebrow as Ukyo approached him. "What?" he muttered sullenly.

Sky blue eyes glared at him with extreme fierceness. "Care to explain what the scene was all about?"

"The scene I have to thank you for, you mean? Oh, it was to put Louis in his place."

"That was cruel and unnecessary."

"I thought you´d be pleased, Kyo-nii. You´ve been wanting to teach him a lesson, haven't you?"

"Are you insane? Louis is part of the family. The Akiyama man is the one who´s causing all this trouble. It´s him you should have taken it out on."

Fuuto rolled his eyes. "Don't lie to me. I heard your rant. You were mad at the boyfriend, but you were disgusted by Louis. I am too, you know. I think it´s absolutely gross; two men together and kissing and stuff. Ew."

Ukyo drew in breath to scold Fuuto. He found out he couldn't because he did think the same way. The idea of two men involved in a romantic relationship. From the moment he´d come home from the summer house to see Louis and the Akiyama guy kissing on the lips he had felt uncomfortable. He didn't like the sight. He found it unnatural. Plus, Ema´s attraction to Kazuhiko only made things worse. He was jealous of the brunette. He wondered 'why him?' when she had so many options close at home, himself included. So yes, Ukyo agreed, but nowhere in this mental bitterness did he blame Louis. Louis was part of the gay couple he didn't like but if Kazuhiko hadn't entered his brother´s life, there would be no gay couple in the first place.

Hence, he was still mad as hell with Fuuto.

"You´re a disgrace to this family," the blonde huffed.

Fuuto snorted. "Along with you? I guess I am. Go to hell all of you. I was just doing the family a favor," he grumbled, then walked past the bare tree and right out into the street. He´d called his manager already, and she had told him to wait at the corner of the street. A car would come pick him up and take him to whichever hotel she found a room in. She hadn't asked questions, only followed his orders. Fuuto liked his agent a lot.

Shivering at the cold seeping through his parka, he strode down the street at an easy and confident pace. Despite the fact he hadn't been able to speak to Ema so she could cling to him until dawn, it had been a wonderful night at work, so to speak. He´d achieved one or two more goals than he´d planned.

"You´re a genius," he mumbled into the air, chuckled and kept walking. He´d walked about eight more feet when he saw a familiar figure leaning against the building on the corner of the street. Even though the stoplight was green and the street was deserted, said figure wasn't moving from his spot.

"Waiting for your boyfriend to pick you up?" he asked in a casual tone.

Louis lowered the hand covering his face in slow motion. He looked at Fuuto and paid no mind to the tears sliding down his cheeks.

"What am I, a damsel in distress?" he muttered.

"Depends. Do you top or are do you prefer to be the bottom?"

"It´s none of your business, and that had nothing to do with what I said."

"So glad to see you can fight back, Louis."

Mauve eyes did their best to turn hostile. In the end, though, they remained broken. "What have I done to you, Fuuto? I´ve never gotten in your way _for anything_, much less for Ema."

"Your boyfriend has."

"Don't use him as an excuse for being such a cruel young boy."

"Aw, it´s so cute to see you being all protective and kind of manly. I still get the feeling you like being the girl in that twisted relationship of yours. Disgusting." Fuuto made a face, then gave him a mock military salute and headed for the crosswalk. He heard the screeching of tires and raised his head to see a car racing down the street. The stoplight still showed green, so Fuuto walked forward. The car had to stop anyway.

Much to his surprise, the car didn't stop. It kept racing down the street at max speed. He hesitated in his next step. Much to his surprise, it was Louis´s scream of, "_Fuuto get back!" _what made him backpedal as fast as he could. He wasn't fast enough, and he would have lost his leg if the car hadn't stopped.

It came to a halt after hitting his thigh. Pain shot up through his whole leg. His throat tightened. "Damn it!" he screamed, and hopped on one foot to the driver´s side. He pounded on the window with both hands.

"Are you an idiot?! The stupid light was blue! Blue!" He pounded on the window again.

One hand landed on his shoulder, the other on his head. He whirled and came face to face with Louis. He was about to make a smart remark, but the redhead spoke before him.

"Sit down and let me look at your leg."

"Get off me. I can handle this on my own."

"Sit down and let me look at your leg. It´s shaking," Louis said again. He gave the teenager a worried look –honestly? After everything Fuuto had done to him tonight Louis was still worried about him?– and then tapped on the driver´s window.

The door flew open this time. A tall and slim black-haired man stumbled out of the car.

"Sir, you…" the redhead began, but Fuuto hopped over to the man and grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Are you freaking blind? Are you drunk? Are you stupid or the three above? You could have killed me back there!" he cried. He shook the man, who only grumbled something unintelligible and gave him a shock.

Pain ran through the brunette´s whole body as he stumbled back. He cursed under his breath, threw himself forward again. No blind idiot was going to get away with shoving him.

Three seconds later, Fuuto realized he was not dealing with a blind idiot but with a drunk man who was still in his work uniform.

Was that a… security guard´s type of outfit?

"You are so going to pay if you broke my leg, and I mean it literally!" Fuuto kept screaming. He shoved and cursed and tried to push the man, who was also bellowing and stumbling like a drunkard would. Not to mention he was much taller and stronger than the brunette. This was turning into a senseless, one-sided imitation of a fight.

"For heaven´s sake! You´re hurting yourself more," he heard Louis say. As soon as he said it, the elder´s hands landed on Fuuto to pull him away.

"Don't touch me!" he retorted, batted the redhead´s hands off. He turned his attention back to the drunkard, who was pointing a finger at his face while his other hand was resting on his hip.

"Are you going to pull out your Taser at me, you drunk coward," Fuuto taunted.

"Fuuto, don't." It was Louis´s voice again. This time, it held a panicked edge.

The brunette turned to tell him to go to hell with his stupid boyfriend as the disgusting and gay leech he was while the man kept on cursing and wishing him death, but the redhead´s arms came around him and pulled him away from the dark-haired man.

"Oi, oi, oi, don't…" he began, but Louis interrupted him.

"Fuuto, stop it. He has…"

"Fuck you, brat. Get out of my way," the man said, pulled whatever was at his hip.

Louis let out a strangled cry. "Move!" he cried, gave the latter a hard shove that sent him to the ground and a safe distance away from the drunk man.

Fuuto landed hard. He hissed at the sudden pain of his leg being moved with so little consideration, but the hiss was lost in the sound of…

One. Two. Three.

Oh no.

He turned his head so fast his hair flew around his face. His eyes searched frantically for a familiar figure, and he let out what sounded like a gasp when he saw Louis crumple to the ground in an already bloody heap.

Oh no. Oh _hell no_.

The sounds he´d heard hadn't been… gunshots…

Had they?

**To be continued…**

I´ll make this fast and straight to the point:

Please don't kill me. Things will make a bit more sense next chapter.

Late merry Christmas to everybody! :3 3

Thanks for reading! :D

P.S.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to handle so many characters at the same time? T_T


	34. Chapter 34: Nervous Breakdown

**Chapter 34: Nervous Breakdown**

At first, Louis didn't understand what had happened. At first, he didn't feel anything. At first, he thought he´d gotten both Fuuto and himself out of harm´s way.

He was soon proved wrong.

The sound of the gunshots was so loud and close to his ear he was deaf by the time the second bullet came out. His body jerked with the three impacts. Much to his surprise, there was no pain.

Not at first.

He felt his leg give. He began to fall. Out of reflex, his hands went to cradle his limb, but then he saw the red and gooey substance coming out of his chest. His hands changed direction. He was cradling his chest by the time he hit the floor.

He didn't hear as his body fell to the ground. The weird angle at which his knee was bent sent a sharp bolt of pain all the way down to his head. His hip was throbbing. He felt as if he had a thousand needles poking into his flesh.

His chest was burning. Breathing was becoming a difficult task.

Louis opened his mouth. A mewl came out, followed by blood. It filled his mouth, it choked him. He coughed over and over again. The fluid kept coming out of his mouth. The pain was spreading slowly but heavily across his whole chest, his hips, his leg…

He couldn't feel his leg anymore.

He tried to move his hands. It was like they belonged to another person. He couldn't coordinate. In fact, he didn't remember where his fingers were and how to move it.

He was dying, wasn't he?

Louis was too numb to feel scared. One part of his mind was saying, 'yes, you´re fading away' while the other said, 'you´re life hasn't flashed past your very own eyes. You´re not dying'.

His thoughts were becoming muddy. His head felt it was going to explode. His vision was filling up with grey spots.

And yet… he didn't seem to care. He couldn't hear a thing and it was okay. It was okay, because his world was turning black. There was nothing to hear.

There was nothing to see.

There was nothing to feel.

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Tsubaki managed to watch from his bedroom window the little exchange between Ukyo and Louis. He clicked his tongue, cursed his older brother. He paced in circles around the room. When he went back to the window, he also managed to catch a glimpse of Ukyo talking to Fuuto.

His mouth curved up in disgust at the sight of the young brunette. He could have been the second youngest brother among the thirteen of them, yet he was –in the worst way– the most jaded and cunning one.

"He needs some serious therapy," Tsubaki muttered for his own ears. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets. He fingered his cell phone, then felt another metallic and rectangular thing beneath it.

With a frown, he drew his hand back. He held his phone, and above his, Louis´s cell phone rested.

"Oh crap," he said, and slapped a hand over his face. He´d forgotten to give it back to the redhead after teasing Iori. He´ really had wanted to make a collage with the many images he foudn. He´d already transferred some pictures to his phone, but he hadn't returned the object because Ukyo had called all the brothers to the table so they could eat.

And now Louis was gone. Tsubaki had the feeling the younger brother had no intention of coming back to the Sunrise Residence and he didn't recall not having his cell.

Tsubaki… he felt like he had to take it to him and give him some reassuring hugs and words in the process.

Clicking his tongue, he walked out of the room. He called the elevator on his floor. When it opened, he found Hikaru and Wataru inside. The youngest brother was holding a canvas bag.

"Isn´t that Louis´s?" the twin asked.

Wataru nodded, tears still fresh on his face. Hikaru said, "He forgot it when he left. We´re hoping to find him and give it back to him."

"And to give him some very needed support?"

"Yep. He can´t be very far away." Hikaru held up Masaomi´s car keys. "You want to come?"

"Since I need to give him back his phone count me in."

Hikaru raised an eyebrow, then nodded. Tsubaki got into the elevator. The three of them rode down and out of the Sunrise Residence. They piled into Masaomi´s car and sped down the street.

"Is Masa-nii okay?" Tsubaki ventured after a minute of silent driving.

Wataru pouted. Hikaru snorted and squeezed the steering wheel tight between his hands. "He´s about to have a nervous breakdown, Tsubaki. He´s been having a rough couple of months. Fuuto´s stupid stunt is bound to push him over the edge. It wouldn't surprise me if…"

"Yeah, okay, I get it. Stop talking."

The redhead turned to glare at him. Tsubaki glanced at Wataru´s devastated expressions out of the corner of his eyes. Hikaru´s mouth dropped.

"He´s not going to die or anything," he added quickly for the boy´s benefit. "Masa-nii might need to be alone for a while and he might need to take some pills because we´re all driving him crazy, but he´ll be fine."

"I know what a nervous breakdown is, Hika-chan. Masa-nii has told me about them." Wataru turned pale. He squeezed the canvas bag to his chest. "He won´t need to be hospitalized, will he?"

"Of course not! He might need to beat the shit out of Fuuto before he can be healthy and sane again but…"

"Hikaru-nii!"

The redhead turned his head to look at Tsubaki, who was riding shotgun. "What now? I´m not going to sugarcoat the truth from Wataru. He´s not a baby, and I´m sure he knows just what a bastard Fuuto…"

"No, Hikaru-nii, _look_!"

The redhead swiveled his eyes back onto the road. He slammed on the brakes as soon as he understood why Tsubaki had screamed at him. If he hadn't stopped, he would have hit the back of the ambulance blocking the street.

"Huh? Was there an accident here?" he muttered.

Tsubaki gave a shrug. Wataru bent between the seats from behind to get a better look.

"There´s a police car over there," Wataru said, and pointed farther down the road.

The two eldest exchanged glances. Hikaru got out. Tsubaki waited until the redhead had vanished under the glare of the siren lights before saying, "Let´s follow him, kiddo."

Wataru didn't need to be told twice. The two of them opened their doors and climbed out. Wataru clung to Tsubaki´s sweater sleeve before the two of them moved forward.

They hadn't gone walked even ten feet when they spotted Hikaru. He was standing in the next to a police car, frozen in place. Even from the back, you could tell how tense he was.

"Hika-chan?" Wataru murmured.

His stomach getting heavy, Tsubaki nudged the boy. "Go back to the car," he said.

"…Huh?"

"Go back to the car. I´ll see what´s up with Hikaru-nii." When Wataru opened his mouth to protest, the twin gave him one of his rare big-brother looks.

"Fine," Wataru muttered on the end, went back to the car.

Tsubaki fisted his hands. He walked to where Hikaru stood. However, before he could get a word out, he saw Fuuto. What was worse: he saw Fuuto surrounded by two police officers and a paramedic. Even from where Tsubaki stood, the brunette was pale white, sweating and with a terrified expression on his face.

The twin swallowed hard. He turned around slowly, his stomach getting heavier every single second. His heart rate had already sped up. His palms were beginning to sweat. He prayed in his mind that whatever had happened to Fuuto hadn't been anything worse than maybe getting mugged. He prayed no one had gotten hurt. He prayed…

All the blood left his face.

"Hikaru-nii," he breathed, then ran forward.

A police officer stopped him before he got to the stretcher. He muttered a curse and tried to nudge the man away, but the goddamned guy was strong.

"You can´t be here, sir," the policeman told him.

"But I have to…"

"This zone is off-limits for now."

Like Tsubaki cared. He had to get to that stretcher and make sure his eyes were playing tricks on him. There was no way what he´d first thought he´d seen was true. There was no way, there just couldn't be…

"Sir, please step back."

"Damn it! Get out of my way. My brother´s on that thing!" Tsubaki yelled at the top of his lungs. He jerked free of the policeman and bolted forward. He almost collided with the stretcher. He managed to stop after seeing just how right he´d been.

Louis lay on the stretcher. He was literally white, his hair was glued to his face.

His chest was red.

The first few seconds Tsubaki´s mind couldn't make sense of what he was seeing. His legs turned to jelly, and a moan left his lips when he noticed the blood-soaked clothes and gauze, the huge puddle of blood a few feet away from the stretcher. He noticed how strange one of Louis´s legs looked, how the redhead looked…

"He´s not dead."

He whipped his head around. Hikaru stood there as if he´d been carved out of stone, figure still, expression blank.

Fine. If Hikaru was going to play the tough one, Tsubaki wouldn't mind going into a panic.

"Look at him! He´s bleeding to death! Oh God. He´s bleeding to death. Oh God. Oh God." Tsubaki covered his eyes with his hands. The image of a _dying _Louis crept back into his mind. He let out a scream and brought his hands down.

"Louis is bleeding to death!" he screamed. There was so much blood. So much damn blood.

Hikaru swallowed. His eyes were on the stretcher, but he didn't look like he was about to break down.

"Call Masa-nii."

"Huh?"

"Call Masa-nii. Call mom. Call Kazuo. Call the fucking army, I don't care!" The redhead´s hands began shaking. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and then gave Tsubaki a half-crazed look. "Go back to Wataru and call the others. I´ll… I´ll look after Fuuto and Louis. Louis. I can´t believe it. Louis. Damn it!" Hikaru let out a furious growl before moving forward and giving Tsubaki a shove in the opposite direction.

The white-haired twin stumbled, glance at Hikaru over his shoulder. After another incredulous and scared look over at the stretcher and all that _red_, he jogged back to the car.

He must have looked terrible because the moment he got near the car, Wataru said, "Tsuba-nii, you look awful. Was there some sort of accident here? Where is Hika-chan? Where is Louie-tan?"

At the mention of Louis, Tsubaki panicked even more.

He started shaking. Tears spilled out of his eyes. He had to lean against the car to keep himself from falling. He covered his face with his hand, battling nausea the whole time.

Wataru looked terrified. "Tsuba-nii? Tsuba-nii?! What´s wrong? Are you hurt? Tsuba-nii!"

"I… I…" the twin swallowed past the huge lump in his throat. With weak hands, he pulled the first phone he found from his pocket. It was Louis´s.

He began to drop it, then thought better about it. He squeezed it until his hand shook.

"I have to call… someone," he murmured, pulled up the redhead´s recent call list. Masaomi was somewhere at the top. He hit the name and brought the phone to his ear.

Masaomi answered with a soft, "Yes, Louis?"

Nausea rolled over Tsubaki once more. "Masa-nii. Come down. The street. Louis. Oh God. Louis. Please come." And then he hung up. He couldn't talk anymore.

Wataru –his whole body shaking– dropped to his knees next to his brother. "Tsuba-nii, what is going on?" he cried.

Tsubaki took a deep breath, then turned away from Wataru.

"Give me a minute, please," he muttered. He glanced at Louis´s call list again. Kazuhiko´s number was there.

"I hate this," he whispered, then hit the brunette´s name and prepared himself to give Kazuhiko the hardest news of his life.

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Kazuhiko had been buried under a fortress of blankets and pillows for the past one or two hours. He couldn't quite remember how long it had been since the kinds had buried him under all the fuzzy warmness. All he knew for sure was he was _boiling_. He needed to get out whether the kids were done playing with him or not.

With a groan, he pushed his body upwards. Blankets fell away from his face and torso.

A chorus of childish groans was heard.

"We weren't don't burying you!" Kaori whined.

"I was boiling down there."

"But it was just a few blankets."

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow. He fiddled with said blankets and counted each one. "There are ten blankets here. Why are you burying me anyway?"

Kaori looked away. Her little brother and Isao´s other nephews and nieces all giggled.

"Because you´re the only big boy who plays with us," Kaori murmured.

"We were trying to bury you as if it were sand!" Daichi cried.

Kazuhiko rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, sand isn't as hot as blankets and pillows." He threw all of them away and got to his feet.

"You´re leaving us?" Kaori asked, eyes going wide.

"For a little while. Let me get a drink of water, then you can cook me again, okay?"

After receiving the kids´ permission, Kazuhiko ambled into the kitchen, where Isao and his two older brothers were cooking. There was not a single woman in sight, nor was the Fujiwara patriarch there.

Kazuhiko stopped walking. "Um, am I supposed to help with the cooking?" he asked.

The Fujiwara brothers looked at him. Isao said, "I believe it´s better if you stay with the kids, Kazuhiko-kun."

"Hey, I know I´m not an amazing cook like you but I could lend a hand."

"Oh no, it´s not a matter of how good a cook you are. It´s more like you´re the only one who can deal with all the kids at the same time."

"And you have no idea how much we appreciate it. Our parents and our wives desert us every Christmas Eve, and if it weren't for you, the three of us wouldn't be able to make food for everyone," Isao´s oldest brother said.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Kazuhiko scratched the back of his head. "Where arethe women anyway?" This was the very first year he visited the Fujiwara´s household for the holidays. Ryoko and Isao had dated for three years before they got married. Those three years Kazuhiko had spent them downtown with his at-the-time girlfriend or with his friends.

Right now he wished Louis were here. So maybe the redhead would feel uncomfortable among this family and maybe he would be acting all shy and _cute_; still, Kazuhiko would have loved to have his boyfriend with him. It was their first Christmas Eve together. They should have been together.

It wasn't like Kazuhiko felt miserable either. He just wished… he wished he had his beloved Louis with him. He was the fifth –or eleventh more like it– wheel in the house.

He let out a huff, went to pour a glass of water. He downed it in a couple of sips. When he was done, he poured another glass and drank it just as fast.

"There´s some wine in the cabinet next to the fridge," Isao called in a casual tone.

Caramel brown eyes flicked to his face. "Wine?"

"Yes. It might cheer you up a bit."

"Ah, I don't really think I should…"

"Why don't we all have a drink?" Isao´s second oldest brother asked. Said brother moved to open the cabinet and get out one of the wine bottles. Isao took out four wineglasses.

Kazuhiko watched them move. "Are you sure?" he began. "I mean, the children are out there and your wives may throw a fit when they come back in…"

"Which is why we have to do this now. Before anyone comes in or interrupts us. Besides, it´s just wine." Isao and his brother filled the four wineglasses and then passed them around.

Kazuhiko took his. Aside from the time Kiyoko had insisted they go out for his birthday and had gotten him roaring drunk, he preferred to have two or three drinks at the very most.

But well, why not. It wouldn't be bad to drown out his sorrows with wine this time, right?

"Right," Kazuhiko muttered. They clinked the wineglasses in a silent toast, then he took a couple of long and slow sips. Or rather various quick sips because he´d finished the wine before the other men had downed even half of theirs.

The Fujiwara brothers gave a synchronized chuckle.

"Yeah, have another," the oldest said, poured Kazuhiko some more.

"Thanks," the brunette murmured. He took another sip and didn't feel the need to drink it for at least two more minutes.

"Cheer up, kiddo. This maybe the first Christmas you won´t spend together with your sweetie, but it isn't like it´ll be the last in your relationship, eh? I mean, from what we´ve heard, you´re not the type to change partners every couple of months."

Kazuhiko found it interesting how there was no mention of a name, a 'she' nor a 'he'. He was pretty sure Isao or his parents had told the rest of the family about Kazuhiko and the possibility of him coming home with a boyfriend. In his mind, it sounded like they´d been warned about a person coming home with the bubonic plague, but the Fujiwara family didn't seem to care.

Kazuhiko wished he´d gotten some sort of present for all of them.

His phone rang as he was taking his second sip. He pulled it out, and his body tensed up when he saw the caller´s ID. He excused himself from the kitchen and wandered out into the hall.

"Hey there. What´s wrong?" he murmured as he brought the phone to his ear.

The heavy panting on the other end of the line made alarm bells go off in his head.

"Louis," he said.

More scared panting, and then a very hollow voice said, "Kazuo, this is Asahina Tsubaki. Louis… Louis is on his way to the hospital."

Kazuhiko´s heart stopped beating. "Huh?"

There was an unintelligible whisper.

"What? I didn't hear you."

Tsubaki seemed to be weighing his words. Kazuhiko could feel the hesitation in the silence, and he felt the blood leave his face.

"Tsubaki-san, what happened?" he asked. "Is Louis okay?"

"No! He´s not okay. I told you he´s on his way to the hospital."

"… But why?"

There were some other confusing murmurs. When Kazuhiko was spoken to again, it was Azusa´s voice that came out of the phone.

"Kazuo-kun, this is Asahina Azusa. Like Tsubaki said, Louis is on his way to the hospital."

Dread was slowly replacing all the blood in his body. What on earth could have happened to Louis for him to be on the way to the hospital, have Tsubaki too shocked to talk and Azusa talking in code?

No. Those two last details didn't matter. Louis was on his way to the hospital. It was enough.

"Give me the address," he commanded.

Azusa didn't question him. "He´s being taken to Masaomi-nii-san´s hospital," the twin informed him.

Kazuhiko counted in his head. If he floored the gas pedal he could get there in fifteen minutes. Tops. If there wasn't a lot of traffic, though.

"I´ll be there by yesterday," he said, and moved for the door. He hesitated a split second before saying, "Azusa-san, is he alive?"

The twin´s answer turned his blood to ice.

"We´re not sure, Kazuo-kun, but we hope so. Hurry."

The brunette hung up, shoved his phone into his pocket and almost ran to the front door, ignoring the children´s calls for him to come back and play.

He put on his coat, jerked the door open. He´d jumped down he entrance steps when he almost ran into Ryoko and the other women coming back inside.

"Whoa, slow down, Kaz. Where are you going?" Ryoko asked, grabbing her brother by the arm. Her eyes flew wide when she slipped out of her grip with a harsh movement.

"Kaz?" she murmured, taking in his worried expression and pale, sweaty face.

"Nee-san, I have to leave," he said.

"Did Louis-san call you or something?"

"The twins called me. They said Louis is on his way to the hospital." Without further word, Kazuhiko headed for his car.

Ryoko blinked, processed the words, then scurried after him.

"Are you serious?" she said, incredulous.

He nodded without looking at her. "Azusa-san didn't tell me what happened." He swallowed hard, rubbed a hand over his face. "I… I asked whether Louis was… alive or not…" Another swallow. "He said he didn't know."

Ryoko´s mouth dropped. The wheels in her head started turning. So maybe those Asahina idiots were messing with Kazuhiko; it was a possibility. On the other hand, Louis had been worried about going home, about the hostility among his family. The chance of Louis getting physically hurt had been low. It hadn't been nonexistent.

"I´ll go with you," she declared, turned to yell something at the Fujiwara family and then kept following her brother. Kazuhiko unlocked the car doors. He was about to get into the driver´s seat when Isao called, "Ryo-chan, Kazuhiko-kun, where are you going? Mom said something about you going to the hospital…" The words died in his mouth when he saw the siblings´ expressions.

"Louis is on his way to the hospital. I´m not sure why, but it´s bad," Kazuhiko said.

Isao didn't hesitate. If Kazuhiko said Louis was hurt enough to need medical assistance then there was no reason not to believe him. And if Kazuhiko went, Ryoko would go too. He knew both Akiyamas too well.

"Get on the backseats both of you," he said, and took Kazuhiko´s keys from his hands.

"Isao-san?"

"You´re about to have a panic attack, Kazuhiko-kun. You will crash before you get to the hospital. Ryoko is pregnant. Enough said. Get in."

Ryoko´s eyes were wide. She wasn't used to seeing her husband in tyrannical mode, but when said mode appeared…

She got into the backseat without a comment. Kazuhiko soon followed. Isao nodded. "We´ll get to the hospital soon," he promised them both.

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Kazuhiko called Masaomi as soon as he got out of the car when they got to the hospital. The call was short and very abrupt. Masaomi sounded too busy and stressed. Kazuhiko regretted the call as soon as it had ended. On the other hand, at least he sort of knew what was going on with Louis now. Masaomi had said the redhead had lost a lot of blood and that he was going into surgery in a few minutes to take the bullets out of his body.

It didn't take more than two brain cells to understand those statements meant.

Needless to say, by the time Kazuhiko arrived at the reception, he looked half-crazed.

"Asahina Louis," he cried out, slamming a hand on top of the reception desk and scaring the nurse behind it.

"Excuse me?" she replied with a confused frown.

"Asahina Louis," he repeated, biting off each syllable. "I need to know where he is now and what his condition is. He must have come into the emergency room a little while ago."

The nurse´s expression changed to one of mild surprise before she remembered her bedside manners. Schooling her features into a an empty cheerfulness, she turned her gaze to her computer. After a few clicks she said, "Asahina Louis arrived fifteen minutes ago. Due to his condition, he is being transferred to the surgery room as we speak."

"What are his injuries?"

She eyed him. "Are you a relative?"

The word slipped out of his mouth before he even thought about what he was saying. "No."

"Then I´m afraid I can´t tell you the details, young man.."

"What do you mean you _can´t_? I need to know which state he´s in."

"That is confidential information. I´m not allowed to share it with just any person who asks."

Kazuhiko glared at her. He opened his mouth to tell her what he thought about her stupid confidentiality, but Ryoko´s voice stopped him.

"Of course she isn't allowed to tell you how Louis-san is doing, Kaz. That information is reserved for family in general, not just relatives, correct?"

The nurse threw a glance at the pregnant –Ryoko´s belly was noticeable by now– woman and nodded.

Ryoko smiled at her, ambled to where Kazuhiko was and hugged his arm with one of her own. "Of course," she repeated with a motherly smile. Her free hand found Kazuhiko´s, and she dropped something onto his palm. As soon as the male brunette felt it, he looked at her in surprise. After an almost imperceptible nod from Ryoko, Kazuhiko slipped the ring onto his left annualry.

"Then you have to tell me," he said, and raised his hand. "It´s my husband in there, you know. His brother called me."

The nurse lost her blank expression once more. At first she looked dubious, then a bit annoyed.

Kazuhiko decided to follow through with his lie. "If you have a problem with homosexual relationships them I´m very sorry, but that´s not the issue here. Please. My husband could be dying while we´re talking." His tone was so desperate and he looked so damn terrified that the nurse couldn't help believe him.

"He was admitted suffering from excessive blood loss and three gunshot wounds. One of the bullets hit his right lung and causes a serious internal hemorrhage. Both his lungs filled up with blood and he was having serious trouble breathing. The other bullet hit his leg. It damaged the head of his femur and the femoral artery."

The ground shook under his feet. His vision swam. His legs turned into spaghetti. He collapsed against the reception table.

"Nee-san… go back to Isao-san," he croaked out, feeling his heart hammering at the back of his throat.

Ryoko threw him a stupefied glance. "Huh? What do you mean 'go back'?"

"I mean go back. You´re pregnant. It´s not good… for you… or for the baby to be here."

"But I can´t leave you here! You´re white, Kaz."

"Ryo-chan!"

"Kazuo-kun!"

The siblings turned in the directions their names were called. Ryoko flinched when she saw Isao walking down an aisle with a worried look in his face. Kazuhiko managed to pull himself to his feet and stumble to where Azusa was standing.

"W-What happened?" were the first words out of his mouth.

Azusa grabbed his arm and dragged him down a hall. "Did the nurse over there tell you how bad are Louis´s injuries?"

"… I don't want to believe what she said." Kazuhiko looked at the floor. "What happened, Azusa-san? Why… Louis got shot… how?" He was sputtering. He knew it. He couldn't help it.

Azusa hung his head. "We´re not very sure yet. Ukyo-nii-san, Kaname-nii-san and Natsume-nii-san are down at the police station straightening things out with the police officers. By the time Masaomi-nii-san and the rest of us got down the street Louis was already on the ambulance and we barely had time to talk to each other."

Kazuhiko let out a frustrated growl. "What type of answer is that? I need to…"

"Out of the way!"

Azusa and Kazuhiko jumped a mile when they heard the scream. Out of instinct, the two of them plastered their bodies to the wall. A flurry of nurses stormed past them and down the hall wheeling a stretcher.

As the stretcher flashed past him, Kazuhiko´s eyes registered in a couple of seconds a devastating image: Louis with his covering half his face, eyes closed, an oxygen mask half-hiding his slack expression. That plus the sheer redness all over his body and the nurses´ cries of decreasing pressure and lack of oxygen in the lungs drew a weird sound from him.

"Louis," he murmured, and reached a hand out. The stretcher didn't stop.

"Louis." He took a step forward. "Louis. Louis." The name fell from his lips in a breathless voice. Before he could process what he was doing, he was already following the stretcher, one hand outstretched, his breathing heavy. His eyes were stinging.

The thought of possibly never seeing Louis again popped into his mind.

"_LOUIS!" _ he screamed. He bolted for the stretcher, trying to touch, trying to see his boyfriend. His boyfriend. His beloved redhead.

It was _his _Louis lying on that bed.

Arms grabbed him by the arms, by the waist. He whipped around and tried to bat them off. Who the hell was trying to hold him back? Who dared stop him from reaching out to Louis? Who wasn't letting him help?

"Get off me all of you!"

"Oi, oi, Kazuo. Calm down. You can´t go into the surgery room," Tsubaki said.

"Let me go!"

"You´re not allowed inside," Azusa said.

"Get away from me!"

"Kazuo, they´ll throw you out before you even get close to Louis." That was Hikaru.

"But…"

"Akiyama-san, you´re making a scene."

Kazuhiko froze at the sound of Masaomi´s voice. He turned his head in slow motion until he found the eldest Asahina brother leaning against the corridor wall.

"Masaomi-san," he murmured, body loosening up for the twins to release him. "Masaomi-san, aren't you supposed to be in there?" Yeah, it was a stupid and cruel question. However, Kazuhiko´s brain was malfunctioning at the moment.

"Masa-nii is a pediatrician; not a surgeon," a deep voice said.

Brown eyes searched for the voice´s owner. Upon seeing Subaru a few feet away from him _hugging Ema to him_, Kazuhiko´s foggy head cleared for a split second.

He took a step forward, another. Soon enough, he had Subaru´s shirt between his fist while the blackhead had pushed Ema behind him. "If either of you had anything to do with this…" he muttered through gritted teeth. If looks could kill, the two of them would have dropped dead on the spot.

As it was, Kazuhiko said, "I swear, if this is in any way your fault you will _both _pay. I´ve had enough of you jealous and selfish idiots. You should have left Louis alone a long time ago. You should have screwed each other from the very beginning."

Subaru slapped his hand away. "Don't you speak to me or to her like that! This isn't our fault, and you´re overreacting."

"Overreacting? Ha! The man I love is in that room at the end of the hall with his life on the line." Kazuhiko glared at Ema and spoke to Subaru. "You say you love her? Fine. Picture her half dead and fighting for her life. Like you´d be calm."

Subaru was struck speechless, as was Ema. Kazuhiko would have loved to hit them both. He would have done it had it not been for Hikaru walking to him and grabbing his arm.

"The two of them didn't help the cause. Nonetheless, they aren't the ones responsible for this," the redhead told him in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"

"Come with us, Akiyama-san," Masaomi said, taking his other arm. Kazuhiko glanced between them with a confused look on his face. The redhead gave a very weak smile. Masaomi kept looking somber.

"Where are you taking me?" the brunette asked. He didn't fight the men as they walked him in an opposite direction, heading for another hallway.

"We will let you meet the guy who caused this," Hikaru said, "so you can hit him for us."

"… Huh?"

"Louis was shot by a drunk driver. The guy was about shoot Fuuto, but Louis pushed him out of the way and received the impacts himself."

"But… why? Weren´t you all having dinner at the Sunrise Residence?"

"Fuuto finished ruining the mood. See, we were all eating in this tense atmosphere and then Wataru asked why everyone was so miserable. Subaru opened his mouth like the idiot he was and soon most of us were eating at each other. Ema cried and ran away saying she was sorry –you know how she is. Fuuto took her senseless crying personally and decided to become an even bastard than before. He told all our younger brothers about Louis being adopted."

Kazuhiko stared at the redhead. "You´re joking."

"Why would I joke?" Hikaru frowned. "Anyway, Fuuto hit a nerve…"

"Louis left. And none of us stopped him or called out to him," Masaomi finished. He pursed his lips. "If one of us… if _I _had gotten up to stop him from leaving then Fuuto and him wouldn't have gotten near the stupid drunkard." He rubbed both hands over his face.

"This isn't you fault," Hikaru snapped, then spoke to Kazuhiko again. "From what Fuuto and the passerby who called the ambulance said, Fuuto was almost run over. The car stopped after hitting his leg. Fuuto tried to fight with the drunk guy, and it was Louis who was damaged in the end."

"But why did the guy have a gun?! It´s Christmas Eve!"

"The guy´s a security guard in a mall not far away from here. He´d finished for the day and had gotten himself drunk with his friends. From what I found out, the guy was heading back home when he almost ran Fuuto over." Hikaru cursed under his breath. "Of course, if that brat hadn't picked a fight with the other idiot then he wouldn't have pulled he gun. This is all his fault, anyway you look at it."

Kazuhiko looked back at Masaomi. "Aren´t you going to defend your brother?"

"I am very tired, Akiyama-san. I don't have enough energy left to stand up for anyone but Louis right now, and even so, only because he is hurt. At this moment, they are all on their own," Masaomi replied sound as exhausted as he looked.

"Which is why I´m bringing you here. Masa-nii won´t object; I can´t do it and you´ll do it sooner or later," Hikaru said, and pushed open one door on the hall.

The brunette said, "I´m not just going in and hitting your brother out of nowhere. I don't even know him and…"

"Ah, if it isn't the boyfriend at long last."

Kazuhiko stopped talking. He looked at the teenager sitting up on the hospital bed inside the room. There was a cast around his leg, but other than that, he looked fine.

Kazuhiko blinked at him. So this was Fuuto? He´d seen the guy before. Louis had told him this boy was famous, an idol or something along those lines. So maybe Kazuhiko had seen him on TV before, but it wasn´t what he was remembering.

No. He was sure he´d seen this boy… around these two brothers exactly. But where?

"Are you recalling the day Masaomi-nii gave you that box of disgusting presents to use on Louis? At that little café? Yeah. That was me on the table behind those two," Fuuto said with a mock salute in direction of his older brothers.

Kazuhiko froze.

Fuuto did his best to put up an arrogant and careless face. Sure, his leg was killing him and he was still _a bit _affected after having seen someone being shot right in front of him due to his stupidity. Yeah, he wanted to cry and bury his face in the pillow and erase those images forever. Deep down, he wanted Louis to be okay because he´d aimed to hurt him emotionally, not almost kill him. He didn't want his brothers to hate him and Louis´s death to be on his shoulders. It was his family they were talking about. He loved them in his own twisted way. Whether he wanted or not, he did care about what they thought about him.

Killing Louis –biological brother or not– would be a heavy burden to carry.

Of course, he wasn't going to let anyone know what his deepest thoughts and feelings were. No way in hell. He´d die before he told the boyfriend out of all people what was going on in his head.

Over his dead body would he let his pride be shattered so badly.

"Are you here to see if your princess will come out alive?" he said in his most sarcastic tone. He tilted his chin outward and let out a snort.

"He won´t be missed if he does die, you know. He´s not part of our family, and he has no place to go back anyway. Besides, if this is about you, I´m sure you´ll find soon enough a replacement for him. There are many sluts out there who wouldn't mind having your cock shoved up their…"

Kazuhiko´s fist hit him on the face. The impact turned his head around, sent his bangs flying. The pain and taste of blood in his mouth was immediate.

Fuuto barely had time to register he´d been punched before Kazuhiko hit him again. He saw stars and ended up hitting the mattress, not sure whether his head was still on top of his shoulders or not.

"Ow," he murmured. He planted his palms on the bed, tried to sit back up. Hands grabbed him by the front of his coat and jerked him to a sitting position.

"If Louis dies, you´ll be next," Kazuhiko warned him in a furious whisper. He glared at Fuuto, then let go of him and stomped out of the room.

Hikaru watched the brunette go. A soon as Kazuhiko was out of the room, his lips twitched.

"I needed that. Don't you die before he kills you, brat," he said, followed Kazuhiko out.

Fuuto snorted. "Anything to say, Asahina patriarch?" he muttered.

Masaomi pushed away from the wall he´d been leaning against. "Louis is loved by many, Fuuto. If he wasn't, the family wouldn't be here. It doesn't matter whether he´s adopted or not. It never has. He is family. He cares about us and we care for him… much more than what you would ever understand." He headed for the door.

"Akiyama-san also loves him, Fuuto. And if you hurt Louis in any way, Akiyama-san will make sure you end up hurt worse." Masaomi´s eyes acquired an atypical evil gleam. "Ironic, isn't it?"

With that last remark, Masaomi the room.

Fuuto blinked a couple of times, then let his body fall down on the bed. "Irony my ass," he muttered, then pressed a button to call for a nurse. He wasn't sure what he was going to tell the nurse who came if she asked what had happened to him.

'My brother´s boyfriend punched me for being a jerk'. No.

'A thief came inside and when I tried to stop him from robbing my wallet he hit me'. As if.

"Ah, whatever," he said, then closed his eyes, hoping to ease the pain in his face and that guilt squeezing his tiny little heart.

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Masaomi took Kazuhiko to the pediatrics wings and led him into his private consulting room to tend his split knuckles. Being one of the head pediatricians on the hospital had its benefits.

"Louis is not going to die, is he, Masaomi-san?" the brunette asked from his seat.

Masaomi rummaged around his office looking for bandages, alcohol and antiseptic cream. "No. Louis won´t die," he said confidently. "I talked to the doctor who was going to do the surgery. He said as long as they took the bullet out of the lungs before there was more internal bleeding, it was a matter of draining the blood out so Louis could start healing."

"What about his leg?"

"The bullet pierced the front of his leg and came out the other side" –Kazuhiko winced–, "The femoral artery was damaged, same as the femur. The priority is to stop the bleeding and then they will operate the bone. He won´t be able to walk for the first few days. He´ll need physical therapy and lots of rest for three months at the very least until he can walk on his own and without any type of help, meaning crutches or canes."

"What about… the psychological trauma?"

"We´ll see when he wakes up. He might need therapy for a couple of weeks or he may need no therapy at all. It´s a matter of how strong he is, mentally speaking." Masaomi approached the brunette and clasped the hurt hand between both of his. For the knuckles to be split, the punches must have been very hard indeed.

"He´ll be fine, Akiyama-san," he went on. "It will take time, but he´ll be fine. The surgery won´t take more than three hours. He should regain consciousness tomorrow around ten o´clock or around noon."

Kazuhiko watched as his hand was cleaned. "He lost a lot of blood."

"I´m already working on it. The hospital is lacking on B blood type, but a couple of my brothers are B, so I can get some bags to transfuse into him. I´d prefer his exact blood type and not just O."

"Which brother is B?"

"Fuuto is the only one I can remember now, but I´ll take a look into the family records to see who else. I know at least another one of us is B." Masaomi eyed the younger man. "And your type is…?"

Kazuhiko sulked. "A," he muttered.

"Oh." Masaomi smeared the antiseptic cream over the reddish skin. "Well, by the time you come to visit tomorrow morning he should have some color back into him and might even be awake and talking."

"What do you mean when I come back tomorrow? I´m not going anywhere."

"Friends aren't allowed to stay overnight. You and Louis may be together, but it still counts as friendship. Plus, two relatives is the most the hospital can allow if I pull some strings. I´ll stay, of course. Hikaru will also want to stay, but I need him, Ukyo and all the others to go back with the younger ones. I want them to enjoy what´s left of the holidays." Which was the main reason he´d made Yuusuke and Wataru stay home from the very beginning with Iori to oversee them. Fuuto would have stayed home too if he hadn't need a trip to the hospital. Ema would have been on that group too had it not been for Subaru sneaking her in and refusing to leave her alone one second or let her go back to the house.

"But I´m family," Kazuhiko said.

Masaomi gave a lopsided smile as he put bandages on the brunette´s hand. "No, you´re not."

"I mean, I know I´m not, but look." Kazuhiko held up his hand with the wedding ring. The eldest Asahina glanced up uninterested, but he went pale when he saw the ring.

"Oh no," he said. "Oh no. Oh no. Akiyama-san, I know you and Louis love each other but this marriage isn't legal yet in Japan. Also, don't you think it´s a bit too soon? You haven't known each other for even a year and…"

"We´re not married," Kazuhiko interrupted, face tomato red. "This is my sister´s ring. She gave it to me since the nurse wouldn't tell me how Louis was doing because I wasn't family. Being Louis´s husband isn't far from the future truth." By the time he finished, even the tips of his ears felt like they were burning.

Masaomi considered him for a few seconds, then shook his head. He was smiling.

"Play the devoted and heartbroken husband and I´ll see how I manage to get you to stay overnight." Having finished with his patient, Masaomi went to retrieve the canvas bag Louis had left in the apartments. He gave it to Kazuhiko. "Louis forgot it when he left. His phone and other personal items are inside. Take care of them."

"No need to tell me that." Kazuhiko gripped the bag as tight as he could. "Thank you, Masaomi-san, for everything. Louis is very lucky to have you. You´re an excellent father."

The doctor patted the brunette on the shoulder. "You´re a good son-in-law, Kazuhiko-kun," he said, then went for the door. It was time to pull some strings with the staff so he and Kazuhiko could watch over Louis until he woke up.

God, he so needed a nap. He wasn't going to take one until Louis was out of surgery, though. Then again, with Kazuhiko watching over his brother… he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

**To be continued…**

One of my closest relatives was shot almost to death when I was ten. It was a home invasion. He was in the intensive care unit after that for about a week or more. I was a kid back then, but I remember perfectly well how all my family reacted. Hence, I tried to make this chapter realistic contrasting every word to that situation; making it tense but not overly dramatic, or so I hope. I also did my medical research before writing about the wounds Louis suffered. Still, if this chapter seemed off to you or very badly written, I apologize… I´m no expert on any of the subjects written up there. T_T I do hope you guys stick around for the next chapter; it´ll be better, I promise.

Thank you very much for reading and happy new year to you all! 3 :D


	35. Chapter 35: Dad

**Chapter 35: Dad**

The single toll of a bell drew Miwa´s attention to her phone. A bell toll. Just one. From the one sound, she could deduce in a few seconds who´d sent a message. She also knew the message was bad news.

She reached for the phone. The screen lit up. She hit the notification icon before putting it back on the table.

"Miwa?"

Her eyes went to Rintarou, who sat across from her on one of the Hawaiian hotel´s outdoor restaurants. They´d arrived in Hawaii a bit before Christmas, having been in Alaska and Greenland before. After all the snow and ice, the balmy Christmas weather of the island was nice.

"It´s from Masaomi," she mumbled.

"Messaging to wish you a merry Christmas, I assume?" Rintarou gave her a gentle smile.

She bit her lip. "Masaomi never texts."

He raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't?"

"No. He hasn't called nor messaged for the holidays since he was a little child. Nowadays, he only messages when something is wrong."

"Oh. That´s kind of… cold."

Miwa shook her head. She didn't answer, even though her gut was telling her to defend her oldest son. It was her own fault Masaomi never called when she was away. Which was all the time. He called up to when he was about seventeen years old; for her birthday or for Christmas. Since she didn't answer his calls because she didn't have her phone on her or because she didn't hear the ringing, Masaomi stopped doing it. The time she had brought it up he had said in a very confused and honest manner, "What´s the point in calling? You´re always busy to pay attention to your phone."

She shifted in her chair. With a deep breath, she flipped the object over and peeked at the screen.

_Louis has been shot. Fuuto fissured his leg. They´re both at the hospital. They´ll both be fine in a few months. I just thought you would want to know_.

Her breath caught in her throat. She reread it three times before looking up Masaomi´s number and calling him.

"Good night, Mom. Merry Christmas." Masaomi´s voice came out hollow.

"Honey, what happened? What did you mean in your message?" she replied, balling her free hand into a fist.

A long silence, then a subdued, "I wouldn't want to trouble you with this, Mom. Please enjoy your night and I will tell you tomorrow."

"How do you know I…?"

"It´s Christmas. You´re with Rintarou-san."

Miwa huffed. "Asahina Masaomi, don't you be so stoic with me. Tell me what happened."

More silence. It wasn't the same as before, though. This pause felt as if Masaomi was counting in his head up to ten to calm down.

"Louis has a boyfriend," the doctor began. "And yes, Mom. It means Louis likes men. Yes, it´s probably why you never heard of him having a girlfriend before. His name is Akiyama Kazuhiko. He´s a good man. He and Louis have known each for almost a year now, I believe. They have been dating much less. Ema has taken a liking to Kazuhiko, which Subaru didn't take very well and thus…"

As Masaomi went on with a very abbreviated, edited and censured version of what had been happening with Louis and Kazuhiko, Miwa began thinking how long it had been since she´d seen her boys and Rintarou´s girl. After the wedding, she and her husband had gone off spend their honeymoon at the Virgin Islands. They hadn't returned to Japan since.

Good grief. It had been well over a year.

That single thought made her say one sentence as soon as Masaomi was done telling her how Louis ended up in the hospital.

"I´ll be back in Japan tomorrow morning."

She hung up on him and began searching for the next flight from Molokai Island back to Tokyo.

"Miwa?" Rintarou asked again. She´d known he was a man of few words from the very beginning. Over time, she´d learned that even him calling her name could mean various things.

"Louis is in the hospital. He was shot. Fuuto has a fissured leg. He was almost run over by a car."

His eyes widened. "What happened?"

She buried her face in her hands. "Fuuto was about to cross a street. The light was blue, but the car didn't stop in time. Fuuto got angry and tried to fight with the driver, who was drunk and had a gun. When the man tried to shoot Fuuto, Louis stepped in and he got shot instead. They´re both at the hospital. Louis is in surgery."

Rintarou blinked, made sense of what she´d said. When he realized how bad the situation was, he pursed his lips, tapped a number into his phone and brought it to his ear. With his free hand, he touched Miwa´s.

"We´ll be there by tomorrow morning," he promised her, then spoke to the lady who´d picked up at the other end of the line.

"I need two plane tickets for the next plane that leaves Molokai and goes back to Tokyo," he said, and quickly added, "the time limit or the price don't matter. I need the tickets, no matter what."

Twenty rushed minutes later, the two of them were on their way to the airport. Miwa had been very quiet and useless since Masaomi had called. Rintarou had booked their flight, packed almost all of their luggage, checked them out and called a cab while Miwa hadn't done anything. He wondered just how worried she was to be acting so unlike she usually did.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Even under the pale streetlights filtering through the cab windows, he could see she was lacking some serious color.

"Neither of them is going to die," he offered after a moment of hesitation.

She didn't even look at him. "How do you know they won´t?"

"They´re all very strong boys, Miwa. They´re not your sons for anything." He smiled.

Miwa looked out the window. "… Louis isn't my biological son," she whispered so low she could barely hear herself. The first tear slid down her cheek at that statement, and then she couldn't stop the others from flowing.

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December 25th, 8:48 a.m.

Masaomi gave a slight smile at the pictures and videos Wataru had sent him of the brothers around mountains of Christmas presents. Though he wasn't too fond of that western tradition himself, Yuusuke, Fuuto and Wataru had insisted on making the gifts a big deal since they had been toddlers. The tradition had stuck in their own Asahina way. This meant only the kids got gifts. Nowadays, the brothers only gave Wataru gifts, given he was the last child in the family.

With a relieved sigh, the doctor finished flipping through the pictures. He typed some seemingly-cheerful replies before putting down his phone and glancing at the opening door of his consulting office.

"I smuggled in some decent food," Kazuhiko murmured, closing the door behind him. He uncovered what he´d wrapped up in his coat and laid the two bento boxes on top of Masaomi´s desk, the two cups and a thermos.

Masaomi raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean 'smuggle'? Food is allowed in the hospital."

"But only in the cafeteria. I was walking on the first floor and a nurse told me I wasn't allowed to bring all this inside, or that I had to go to the cafeteria." The brunette frowned. "I covered the food with my coat and then kept walking."

"Ah. Well, she was right. We can´t have food just floating through the halls. Some patients here are on diets or come here without haven't eaten anything… I´m sure you know the drill." He eyed the food. "Where on Earth did you get bento boxes and a thermos?"

"My sister stopped by to see how Louis was. Since visits aren't allowed in just yet, we talked at the entrance. She brought me the food and told me she didn't want me to pass out from lack of energy before Louis woke up."

Masaomi hummed. "You´re a spoiled child, aren't you?"

"Not spoiled rotten, but yeah." Kazuhiko reached out to take the food. "You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I can go out if to eat if I´m bother you too, so…"

Masaomi waved a hand. "It´s fine. To tell you the truth, I am very hungry, I am merely amused at what I´ve seen of the relationship between you and your sister. I mean no offense, but it does seem like she spoils you even today. Louis once mentioned she pretty much raised you?"

"Yep. My mom died a few months after I was born. Dad died when she was fourteen and I was seven. She´s… well, she is to me what you are to Louis: the only mother I´ve ever known."

The elder clicked his tongue, then motioned for Kazuhiko to grab a chair. When they were both sitting down with their respective boxes in front of them Masaomi spoke in an ironic whisper: "Mother…"

"Thanks for the food!" Kazuhiko exclaimed, poured two cups of coffee and picked up his chopsticks.

Masaomi reached for his own. "Thanks for the…"

The door crashed open. The two men inside jumped a mile. Masaomi rose to his feet. He was about to scream at whoever had done such a rude thing. When he saw it had been Miwa and Rintarou the ones who´d spilled inside, he let out a sigh.

"Masaomi!" the blonde woman cried. Much to all the men´s surprise, she threw herself straight into her son´s arms. The latter had no choice but to hug her back.

"Ah, Mom. Welcome home," he said, throwing Rintarou a surprised glance. When she´d called him to ask what had happened yesterday night, he hadn't really thought she would come home. Whenever there was an incident involving any of the Asahina brothers he notified her about, she said she would come home immediately and look into it whether it was solved or not. 'Immediately' to her meant one week at the very least.

The fact she was here a bit under twelve hours after they had talked amazed him a lot.

"Where are Louis and Fuuto?" she asked when she pulled back, her hands on Masaomi´s shoulders.

"Fuuto was sent home yesterday night after he got his leg in a cast." Kazuhiko did notice how the doctor didn't mention the teenager´s other injuries. Which was fine with him. It wasn't like he wanted his boyfriend´s mother to know he´d punched one of her sons.

"Is he fine? Is everyone fine?" she asked. Her worry was almost palpable.

"Yes. They are all fine."

"And Louis?"

Masaomi looked hesitant. "He came out of surgery a few minutes before one in the morning. He should be asleep for a few more hours until the anesthesia wears off."

"What about his injuries?"

"They managed to get the bullets out without a problem. His lungs are fine, too. He lost a lost a lot of blood."

"But he´s okay?"

"His situation could be much worse."

"Oh dear." Miwa covered her face with her hands. Rintarou approached her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Masaomi-kun," he greeted with a smile.

"Rintarou-san."

The older man glanced at the brunette still sitting down with a bento in front of him. "Oh. Who might you be, young man?" he asked.

Kazuhiko blinked, blushed, stood up so fast he almost toppled over his chair. Why? Well, this was _it. _This was one of those tense lovers went through: meeting the parents. Yeah, he´d met Masaomi and the others already, yet this was somehow different, more formal.

"Ah… I…" Kazuhiko stammered, then bowed. "My name is Akiyama Kazuhiko. I´m Louis´s boyfriend."

Rintarou´s eyebrows went up. Miwa pushed away from her husband and stared at him.

"Louis´s boyfriend?" she echoed.

"Yes. Nice to meet you both." He gave another bow, then peeked at them from under his slightly longish bangs.

Miwa stared at him for a couple of seconds, then she walked over to Kazuhiko and gave him the once over.

"Your name again?" she said, tone suspicious.

"Uh… Akiyama Kazuhiko," the brunette replied, taken aback with her reaction.

"Age?"

"Twenty-three."

"Job?" she barked.

"Part-time in a car shop as of this year. From this coming January, I´ll be working with a construction company."

"Family?"

"Just my older sister and her husband."

"Do you live with them?"

"No. I have my own apartment, which I do pay for myself."

Her eyes narrowed. "Do you drive?"

"Yes, ma´am." Kazuhiko fought the urge to give a military salute. "My car is on the parking lot."

"Have you had an STDs exam done?"

His face flared red. "Yes. All the results came back negative."

She didn't miss a beat. "Good. How many partners have you had before Louis?"

"Huh? Um…"

"Stop cross-examining him, Mom. Kazuhiko-kun is a good man," Masaomi interrupted. Kazuhiko turned to look at him. He´d thought the eldest Asahina brother would be amused. He was wrong. Masaomi was annoyed.

Miwa also turned to look at her son. "Is he, Masaomi?"

"Yes. Now please stop acting so rudely."

When Miwa took a couple of steps back, Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow. It was quite impressive how Masaomi seemed to have this mature aura around him that even made his own mother follow his orders.

This man was terrifying in his own way.

"I´ll take Masaomi´s word for now, Akiyama Kazuhiko-kun." Miwa murmured, and looked back at her son. "Can you take me to Louis´s room? I want to see him."

Caramel brown eyes brightened up at those words. Masaomi caught the look and sighed. Kazuhiko had insisted various times during the early morning how much he wanted to see Louis after the surgery with his own eyes even if he wasn't awake. Masaomi had told him no one was allowed to visit until the injured man woke up not because the hospital didn't allow it but because Masaomi simply didn't want to see Kazuhiko brooding over the redhead. However, if his mother was insisting on visiting Louis´s room, Masaomi had a moral obligation to allow her in. He also had to let Kazuhiko in, just to be fair.

"Sure. Follow me," he said. He walked out while rubbing his temples. After an express introduction between Rintarou and Kazuhiko, the three of them followed the doctor.

They rode up two floors and were in the hall leading down to Louis´s private room in no time. Masaomi had made sure his brother got a room all to himself, and one that had actual walls and a TV inside instead of being made of glass all around.

They found Ema, Subaru, Iori and Hikaru right outside the door.

Masaomi came to an abrupt halt. He was so surprised to see them he went silent for a couple of seconds. His shock quickly turned into annoyance.

"_What the hell are you four doing here_?" he whispered-hissed. "Visits aren't allowed inside until after midday."

Iori´s eyes widened. He glued himself to a wall. Ema and Subaru stared at him as if he´d sprouted a second head. Hikaru flinched.

"I, ah… took advantage of your name," the redhead admitted.

"How… _why_?"

"Because they wouldn't let us inside otherwise. I was careful, your reputation is still intact. I promise." He jerked a thumb in Ema´s direction and pulled a face. "Those two tagged along, though."

"Iori did too," Subaru protested.

"At first. Hikaru-nii-san invited me in the end. You and Ema were told to stay home," Iori said.

Masaomi snapped his fingers. The three Asahina brothers turned to him, focused once more. Kazuhiko gaped.

"Why are you here, and why isn't the rest here?" he asked.

Hikaru said, "I snuck out as soon as Rintarou-san called to say he and Mom were coming to the hospital in about an hour. We were about to have breakfast, but there was a time limit, so I thought screw it. I´ll go down and go in to see Louis when Mom does. I figured you wouldn't tell her no."

He pointed at Iori. "Iori caught me when I was getting the car keys. I told him what I was going to do. Since he didn't come to the hospital yesterday he said he wanted to come."

"Hikaru-nii-san yelled at me," Iori put in. "He told me not to spy on other people and scare them by jumping out of nowhere. He also said I had to stay home and be a good boy and take care of Wataru and Yuusuke." He made a face. "I insisted I wanted to see Louis-nii-san, and in the end he told me I could come with him. Then Subaru-nii-san and Ema-san bounded after us telling Hikaru-nii-san they wanted to come."

"Hikaru-nii told us to stay home too and left. In the end, I drove Kyo-nii´s car down here with her," Subaru said.

"Why wouldn't I tell you to stay home? If Louis were awake I doubt very much that he´d want to see the two of you. What was the point of bringing you down here?" Hikaru muttered.

"Hikaru!" Miwa scolded.

"Don't scold me. You don't know what happened, why Louis ended inside that room. You don't know what caused it."

"Masaomi and I talked before I came here."

"It´s not the same, Mom. It isn't the same at all." Hikaru looked at Rintarou. "What about you, Rintarou-san? Do you know why my brother almost dies?"

The oldest man on the hallway glanced at Ema, then shook his head.

"Hikaru…" Miwa began again, but before she could get another word out the door to Louis´s room opened, and a nurse came out.

Her eyes flew wide when she saw the crowd waiting right in front of the door.

"Asahina-sensei?" she said, eyes skating to Masaomi, who walked forward. The nurse whispered something in his ear. It looked like they were good news because an expression of absolute relief came over his face. He said something back to the nurse, who nodded looking hesitant.

"Louis is awake earlier than planned," Masaomi announced. Everyone bristled. He raised a hand to stop any movement. "It might be overwhelming for him if we all troop in at the same time, so…"

Too late. Hikaru and Kazuhiko had already sped past him and straight into the door. Masaomi´s eyes met his mother´s, who made for the door. Rintarou followed her, and Ema followed him inside. Subaru and Iori were the last ones who moved.

Masaomi groaned.

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What made Louis stir was the dull ache he felt on his chest. He didn't feel pain per se, yet it was bothersome.

Opening his eyes took more effort than he thought. His eyelids felt heavy. Sleep tugged at the corner of his minds. His body was yelling at him to go back to blessed unconsciousness both because he was tired but also because he got the feeling he would feel pain when he woke.

He tried to move his hand. It was also very heavy. After lots of trying and stressful effort, he managed to open and close his hand. What felt like a needle was hurting the top of his hand. A piece of rectangular _something _held the needle in place. Whatever it was, it was stuck to his skin.

He tried to speak. His throat was as dry as cotton. When he shifted on the bed, a blunt jolt of pain shot up from his hip up to the top of his head.

Louis was puzzled. Where was he? What had happened to him? Why did he feel so strange, like he was floating?

His eyes finally fluttered open. He was blinded by the white light above him. He had to turn his head and close his eyes tight to avoid the pain which now made his forehead pulse.

After a few seconds he opened his eyes again, millimeter by millimeter. The white light lost strength. His eyes adjusted enough for him to recognize a white ceiling above his head.

"You´re up earlier than I thought. How are you feeling, Asahina-san?"

Louis moved only his eyes to find the speak. He could make out a feminine shape in scrubs. "Where…?" he croaked before he coughed. The cough made his chest burn.

He let out a weak moan.

"You´re at the hospital, Asahina-san. You were brought here yesterday night," the nurse informed him, guessing what he´d been about to say. She puttered around the room, returned with a small glass of water with a bendy straw in it.

"I will bring the glass to your mouth. Please drink slowly and don't try to raised your head or any other part of your body," she commanded.

With his brain foggy, Louis did as he was told. He took several slow sips of water. It was hard to swallow them for some reason. However, by the time the nurse took the glass away, he felt a bit better. He still wanted to sleep. His throat wasn't killing him anymore.

"Do you remember what happened, Asahina-san? Why you´re here?"

He closed his eyes. He searched his mind for his freshest memories. All he came up was a huge blank space.

"I… no," he admitted.

The nurse stared at him. "Do you remember Asahina Masaomi?"

"He´s my… brother."

"That´s right. Your brother. He told me to go get him when you woke, so I will be calling him now. I was told he would take over after this." She gave a bow, then headed for the door.

Louis turned up to the ceiling as soon as he heard her open it. The room was silent. His ears picked up voices outside the room. They seemed familiar, but he wasn't awake or conscious enough to recognize them.

The door opened once more. There was a sharp intake of breath. Louis turned his head. A tall figure stood close to the bed. His eyes narrowed to slits so he could make out wide caramel brown orbs and a tender face staring at him.

Ironically enough, he had no trouble identifying _that_ man.

"Kaz…" the name spilled from his lips in an almost breathless whisper. He tried to raise the hand that wasn't being poked by a needle –an IV, he was pretty sure–, and his lips trembled as he made the effort to smile. Even in his numb, sluggish state, he was happy to see Kazuhiko.

"Kaz…" he repeated. He was too weak to reach out, but the brunette seemed to understand him because he moved forward with a watery smile, his expression softening.

"Louis, darling!" Kazuhiko´s face disappeared from his limited field of vision. The next thing Louis was able to see was Miwa´s face inches away from his. Both her hands closed over his free one.

Miwa?

Louis´s pulse sped up. He tried to take his hand back. He thought he frowned. What was Miwa doing here? Why wasn't she overseas? Why did she look so worried?

"How are you feeling?" she murmured.

Louis blinked. Was she serious? Why would she ask that? Did she know what had happened to him? No. She couldn't know. She was never around for anything.

Louis didn't want to see this woman. She was no good for him right now. He didn't know her. She didn't know him.

Kazuhiko. Where was Kazuhiko? More important…

"Masaomi-nii-san," he moaned, and gathered all his strength to free his hand. The movement left him breathless, made his heart race. Still, he tried to give her his back. Where were the people he wanted to see? The people he needed?

"Louis," Miwa said. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"No," he whimpered. "No. Don't touch me. No."

"Honey, I…"

"_No_. Go away. No." He swallowed hard. "Masaomi-nii-san. Masaomi-nii-san?"

"He´s right here, Louis-san. Right here," Ema intervened, trying to soothe him. Guilt and shame aside, she still hated seeing Louis like this. She´d poured her heart out yesterday night. She knew this was her fault. It hurt her, it bothered her to be the cause of Louis´s troubles, especially because she did love him like a brother still. He´d been the first one Juli had allowed close to her. He´d been there when she found out she was adopted. He´d always been kind and sweet to her.

Last night, she´d pondered over what a bitch she´d been to repay his kindness like this: taking a liking to his boyfriend, messing his relationship with half the brothers, outing his own adopted status to those younger than him. She´d ruined his life when he´d always tried to make hers better, cozier.

She wasn't _that _stupid. She knew she had to make amends, which was the main reason she´d been stubborn for one of the few times in her life and had takn advantage of Subaru´s worry so he could take her down to the hospital.

She did love Louis. She also liked Kazuhiko. Nonetheless, she had to make a choice, and after having almost lost one of her brothers, she knew who she chose.

"Louis-san, you´ll be okay," she tried to assure him. She walked forward, but his eyes went round and panicked.

"No. Not you!" And those three words were the first ones everyone in the room could hear. The machine monitoring Louis´s heartbeat beeped much faster than before. The redhead himself felt his heart hammer the back of his throat. His head throbbed and sharp stabs of pain began eating at the corners of his mind. His leg felt as it if were on fire. He felt like complete and absolute _shit_. He didn't want to have to see Ema on top of that.

Gritting his teeth, Louis shifted his body. His leg wouldn't obey him, but damn it. He had to get Ema and Miwa out of his sight. He wanted to curl into a ball and hide under the bedsheets until both of them left. He didn't want them here. He wanted only two… make that _one _person with him.

"Masaomi-nii-san." Where was his brother?

"Louis-nii-san, you shouldn't…" Iori began, just as Hikaru said, "Louie-chan, if you move around so much…"

The redhead became more restless. He kept on calling Masaomi´s name. He kept on calling for the one person who´d never left him, the one who´d raised him. Louis wanted his _father _with him. No one else. Absolutely no one else mattered right now.

The beeping sped up. Subaru, looking terrified, tried to approach Louis, but the redhead flinched away.

"Get out! All of you! Out! Nii-san, get them away from me! Out!" he screamed. He was so weak some of the effect was lost due to his breathlessness.

"Honey…" Miwa tried again.

"No, no, no! Nii-san…" Masaomi, where was he? Where was…

"Dad…! Dad. Help me. Please." Tears spilled out of his eyes. He shifted on the bed, tying to sit up, trying to roll over, he didn't know what he wanted to do anymore. His leg was a throbbing mass right now. His head felt like it was about to split in two. He was having trouble breathing. "Dad…" he cried out once again, "get them out…!"

All the people on the room froze. Miwa´s eyes watered, and she turned to look at Masaomi, who hadn't moved an inch not because he hadn't wanted to, but because the goddamn crowd on the room had all tried to help Louis when they had done the exact opposite.

With waves of cold fury rippling through his body, Masaomi shoved his way through. He approached Louis´s bed. His heart seized, stung with a fatherly and deep love. The young man suffering and lying on this bed was more his son than a brother, as were all the rest. Louis, however, had been the only one who had ever said it to his face.

What type of… being would he be if he let the redhead down?

"I´m here, Louis. I´m here. It´s okay," Masaomi consoled. He grabbed the youngster´s open hand. He gave a comforting squeeze. He swallowed hard as to not let the lump in his throat get the better of him when he saw more tears spill out of his brother´s half-closed eyes.

He placed his other hand on the pale forehead. "Louis look at me. I´m right next to you. I´m right here," he went on, gulped a couple more times. He would not cry. He would not show any type of weakness when Louis needed him.

Dull mauve eyes met his. "Dad," Louis moaned.

He ran a hand through the reddish hair with slow and gentle strokes. "It´s okay, kiddo."

"Nooooo! Out. All of them. Please." Louis was heaving. "Don't want to… see them. Dad… get them… out." He let out a sound between a sob and a cough.

A lone tear slid down the doctor´s cheek. He took a deep breath. "Yes, Louis. Right away. Right away," he said, then raised his head to address the shocked bunch of people.

"You heard him. Get out of this room. He doesn't want you in here, and I don't either. Leave."

Hikaru and Iori scrambled for the door; as reliable as always. Rintarou nodded in a respectful manner at the doctor, then ushered his crying wife outside. Subaru looked like he wanted to cry too, but in the end he only grabbed Ema by the arm and took her outside.

Masaomi let more tears fall from his own eyes. He glanced at Kazuhiko, who only shifted. His intentions were obvious.

"Give it a try," the eldest Asahina encouraged. He only said it because Kazuhiko had been alongside him for over twelve hours at this point, checking up on Louis´s state with the nurses, waiting for him to wake up and pulling an all-night just like him. Kazuhiko cared for Louis. Masaomi didn't think it was fair to reject such feelings.

Kazuhiko crossed the room in a second. Masaomi pulled back, let go of Louis´s hands and began checking monitors, giving them as much privacy as he could without leaving the room.

The brunette started crying himself as soon as he laid eyes on his boyfriend. He hadn't let out neither a sob or a tear since yesterday. He´d been worried to death. He hadn't thought he´d cry. Seeing Louis unconscious and bleeding had been terrible. Seeing him suffer both in mind and body had been devastating.

"Honey," he murmured, touching Louis´s cheeks with his fingertips.

The redhead moved his head. His beautiful mauve eyes looked alarmed at first. Upon seeing who was in front of him, they softened. The tears didn't stop, though.

"I´m glad to see you awake," Kazuhiko said.

"Kaz… you´re crying," Louis replied.

The brunette shook his head. "Don't be silly. Why would I be crying?"

"Don't. Know. Are you… okay?""

He tried to smile. "I´m fine. Don't you dare worry about me."

"Dad?" Louis swallowed. "Masaomi-nii-san?"

"He´s checking out the machines to see how you´re doing. Try to calm down. Everyone´s gotten out. They´re gone. They won´t bother you anymore."

"I don't want to see them."

"I know. They won´t come back in."

Louis shuddered. "Everything hurts, Kaz," he whispered.

The urge to hold the redhead and make the pain go away was suddenly there: powerful overwhelming. Knowing he couldn't, Kazuhiko forced himself to stay still and help out with words instead.

"Go back to sleep, Louis. You won´t feel pain that way." He leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend´s cheek.

"What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go outside and keep them away? Or do you want me to stay here with you and Masaomi-san?" he said softly. He wasn't going to stay if Louis wasn't up to having him around either. At the moment, he was going to do whatever the redhead said, whatever he wanted.

Louis was silent for a little while, then he closed his eyes. "Keep them away," he said in the end.

"Got it. They won´t bother you again, I promise." Another quick and sweet kiss, then Kazuhiko pulled back. Masaomi gave him an approving nod and went back to holding his younger brother´s hand.

"I´ll be outside," the brunette said, voice hollow. "Take care of him, Masaomi-san."

"I will," the doctor vowed.

Kazuhiko nodded, went for the door. He was taken aback when he saw about three nurses huddled in the doorway.

"What the…?" he sputtered.

Two of the nurses exchanged looks. The third one said, "Asahina-sensei called for us. We were about to go in when all the other people came out. By the time we peeked in, Asahina-sensei had already taking matters into his own hands, and you were calming the patient down."

Kazuhiko glanced back at Louis, then wiped the wetness from his cheeks. "Glad I could be of use," he said.

One of the other nurses stared at him. It took him a second to realize she was the one who hadn't wanted to let him inside yesterday.

"You´re really his husband, aren't you?" she asked.

"Of course I am. Excuse me." He walked past them just as Masaomi called, "You three over there. I need some assistance here."

The nurses scurried into the room to do their job, closing the door behind them. Kazuhiko felt lost at first. After some inner debate, he decided he might as well go back to Masaomi´s office and eat his breakfast. Ryoko had done it herself. He didn't think it was going to taste good. It didn't meant he didn't appreciate her efforts. He would eat the food.

"Kazuo, come here."

Before the brunette could react, Hikaru had wrapped him up in a tight hug. He froze at first, then let out a slight chuckle and hugged back.

"I´m not going to cry, you know," he said.

"I wouldn't want you to. I merely figured you needed a hug. I know I needed one."

Another chuckle. He hugged back, let go of the redhead. "I… uh, will go have breakfast. Be right back," he said.

Hikaru gave him a thumbs-up. "We´ll be waiting."

"What Louis said… I don't think he meant it, Hikaru-san."

Olive eyes glittered with genuine amusement. "I´m sure he didn't, not all of it anyway. Plus, I know he didn't say it because of Iori or me. He loves us, and we love him right back."

Kazuhiko smiled. "You´re right."

"That applies to you too, caramel boy. Do you hear me?"

The brunette gave the military salute he hadn't given Miwa. "Yes, sir. I do," he confirmed. "The truth is, I couldn't have said it better myself even if I had tried."

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Masaomi left the room only after Louis had gone back to sleep. He also made sure there was more B blood, painkillers and serum to pump into his body.

The tears had dried long ago on his face. The nurses hadn't made any comment about it. He didn't bring up the subject. He felt drained by the time he stepped out into the hallway, sighing as exited.

"Masaomi, how is he?"

He stopped at the sound of his mother´s voice. His eyes widened when he spotted her sitting on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. She was alone.

"As good as he can be, I guess. We had to put an oxygen mask on him. He was about to hyperventilate," he admitted.

"Our presence overwhelmed him."

Masaomi saw no point on being considerate to her. She was an adult. She could take the truth. "Yes. He was very scared and angry."

"He didn't want me there, specifically."

"I´m afraid not, Mom."

"He kept calling you dad."

"Yes."

She took a deep breath, got to her feet. "Has he always called you that? I don't recall hearing it before."

"He´s never said it to my face until today. However, he has always treated me more like a father than a brother. Kazuhiko-kun has told me how Louis informed him I´m the only father he´s ever known."

"Do you know if Louis has ever mentioned a mother?"

Masaomi looked up at the ceiling, down at the floor, back at his mother´s face. "Not to me or to Kazuhiko-kun," he admitted.

"Then I shouldn't be here today, should I? Louis doesn't want me here." She covered her mouth with her hands. "This is what I get for leaving the children to you and Ukyo, isn't it?"

_This is what you get for dumping babies into my lap. This is what you get for leaving me to raise my brothers as if they were my sons. This is what you get for being a baby factory but not the day care center. _

_This is what you get for abandoning us, for neglecting your role as a mother, for thinking you´re still young, single and footloose. _

_This what you __**deserve**__ for making me your husband and babysitter instead of your son._

Those and another whole bunch of meaner, truer thoughts crossed Masaomi´s head. If he were to be truthful, he had stopped seeing Miwa as a mother a long time ago. He respected her, cared for her. He didn't love her the way a normal son would love his mother. She´d stuck around until the triplets were like five years old. After them, she´d come and gone as she pleased.

Miwa had never married the man who´d fathered her twelve biological sons; he´d been an adventurer much like Rintarou. Masaomi and Ukyo had been conceived when the couple first began living together in Tokyo. Kaname and Hikaru were born soon after their father made the family move to Akita and the relationship began going downhill. Miwa found out she was pregnant with the triplets a few months after they returned to Tokyo. For the children´s sake, the couple had tried to stick together. Masaomi´s father didn't last long. A few weeks after Natsume and the twins were born their dad left and never came back.

Miwa picked up her job career and her dreams to travel around the world soon after his departure. She waited until the triplets could go to school before informing Masaomi she was going to be working in France for a few years and that she´d have babysitters and maids all the time to raise him and the rest of his brothers.

She returned from France with an adopted baby when Masaomi was twelve. She left little Louis in one of the many nanny´s care and left the country once more. This time, she went to Russia, where she found the "love of her life". A few months into their encounter, she became pregnant with Subaru. Like he´d done before, Masaomi´s father left her.

Iori and the other three had also been born like that: random encounters between Miwa and that man. They were all their "make-up babies" and not a single one of them had made them come back together. Each time, Masaomi ended with another baby to take care of until Wataru was born when he was twenty-one.

After Wataru, his father vanished from the world once and for all. A decade passed until Miwa found Rintarou. Thank God she was too old now to bear any more children.

"I´m very sorry I´ve done this to you, Masaomi. I´ve ruined your life," Miwa said into the silence that had taken over.

The doctor raised an eyebrow, gave a bitter smile. "I love my brothers. Every single one of them. They´ve given me life, Mom. They haven't taken it away from me, much less have they ruined it" he said, and huffed. Besides bitterness, his face now showed jadedness as well. "I _do_ regret you've used me as a replacement husband and nanny. I don't think I can quite forgive you for it," he added almost as an afterthought.

Miwa flinched. "You have raised your brothers much better than I could ever have," she said.

"Not all of them, apparently. If I had done my job, Fuuto wouldn't be such a bratty boy, and Louis wouldn't be hurt." He pierced his mother with his gaze. "You never helped straighten Fuuto out. Please try to reason with Ema. Be with her the mother you´ve never been with us. If she backs off, nothing similar to this situation will happen ever again. Be a mother. Keep her in line, and tell Rintarou-san the same thing."

He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I´ll be going now. I haven't had breakfast yet, and Louis won´t wake up until tomorrow," he informed.

Miwa swallowed hard. "Should I stay?"

"Don´t ask me, Mom. You´re an adult. You can choose what to do on your own. I can´t take care of you. I can´t." And with that empty remark Masaomi strode off.

**To be continued…**

Hello everyone! Today I have quite a lot to say, so feel free to skip these notes ´cause they´re gonna be long hehehe.

First of all, the chapters for this story seem to be growing. The last one was over seven thousand words and this is a bit under seven thousand. I would like to know if you guys feel it´s fine like this or if maybe I should make them shorter. Also, my deepest apologies for spelling and grammar mistakes. I don't have a beta and by the time I´m done with the chapter I don't have enough energy left to go back and reread it. :(

About this particular chapter… to be honest, I was feeling sand when writing it, and in the end I liked how it came out. It kind of had some realism and deepness to it. Then again, maybe it was a bit over the top? You guys tell me. ;)

Also, it may feel like we´re back to square one since Louis is still unconscious. However, do not fear! Louis will be awake and talking for good next chapter. We´ll see how the family deals with what he did and said, same with Kazuhiko (plus I need some fluff between those two ASAP :P). Miwa´s finally in the story… and she´s not a very good addition. I said in the very first few chapters how I try to make the story "real". So… let´s face it. She has never been around. She´s always out or working or traveling or whatever and she doesn't know what to do with her kids. Thus Masaomi´s bitterness. Again, I hope you didn't find it… off.

And, **Tuliharja**, here we have a crazy explanation about the brothers´ father and how they really all are biological siblings LOL ;)

That´s it. I´ll zip it now. Thanks everyone **SO VERY MUCH **for reading the story (and this bible of notes)! :* 3 3 3 3


	36. Chapter 36: New Eyes

**Chapter 36: New Eyes**

"I am very disappointed of you."

Ema flinched and ducked her head at her father´s bold statement. She put her hands on her lap.

"Papa?" she said, voice soft and hesitant.

"I am very disappointed of you," Rintarou repeated. He leaned back against his chair and shook his head. "You have always been a mature and level-headed girl. You have never been like others your age. I thought you knew better than this."

"I am very sorry for what I have done."

"Being sorry is not enough, Ema. Louis is lying on a hospital bed right now because of a small feeling you developed for a man who was already taken." Rintarou looked offended. "I am not against you falling in love. You´re bound to have a boyfriend sooner or later. I do have a problem with you meddling in other´s people business."

"But I…"

"No, young lady. You are going to listen to me right now. First of all, you should have told me what was going on from the very beginning. I may not be around much, but you do know I am just a phone call away whenever you need me. Or am I lying?"

"… No, papa."

"That´s right. I´m not. You will always be my top priority in life. I love Miwa, I love traveling, but you´re the first, Ema. You should have told me about what you felt towards Kazuhiko-kun. I would have done my best to help you." He sighed. "I would have told you to be mature and to think about Louis instead of yourself. Kazuhiko-kun is Louis´s boyfriend."

"I know."

"It doesn´t look like it."

"But I did know! From the start I knew Kazuhiko-san was in a relationship with Louis."

"Then why did you give him a second glance?"

Ema shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, papa. No one would understand." And no one would, because no one else was being chased around by a group of men she desperately wanted to have as a family. No one else was dealing with romantic incestuous feelings. Less of all would Rintarou understand how much she wished she could just meet a man non-related to the family who could be nice to her and make all the others back up. She wanted the Asahinas to be her brothers. She couldn't make them understand that. She had thought liking and even falling in love with a man outside the family would make them understand once and for all. She´d been wrong. So very wrong. Fuuto almost killing Louis both in mind and body was the proof of it.

"Ema? Why?" Rintarou insisted.

She straightened in her seat, frowned. "I… I couldn't help it. Kazuhiko-san is handsome, and he´s different from all the others.

He blinked at those words, then frowned. "Those are not valid reasons. Those are selfish reasons. You´ve never been selfish before."

She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip.

Rintarou sighed again. Her silence had made things worse for her. First, she´d kept quiet about this whole situation since it had started. Up until today, he´d been clueless as to his daughter´s situation involving Louis, Kazuhiko and the other brothers. She´d let things pile up.

When he arrived at the Sunrise Residence later with Miwa, he´d tried to talk to her. He´d tried to get her to talk. She hadn't said a word, which ended in _all the brothers _telling him instead. Since she hadn't even spoken to defend herself, Rintarou figured what the Asahina brothers said was the one and true version of the story.

Rintarou was really disappointed. He did think he´d raised her to be much more mature than this. He did have more faith in her. He did believe in her.

After this, he wasn't sure about what to think of his daughter. He felt guilty because he knew if he were a stay-at-home father nothing like this would have happened. He felt guilty and responsible. He also had to obligation to call her out for her actions and scold her for not thinking about the consequences her actions and words would cause. Mind you, he did blame Asahinas and their impure, incestuous intentions as well.

Still, correcting them was Miwa´s job. His was to deal with Ema. She was his daughter. She was his responsibility. He needed to reel her back in, and if Miwa didn't do anything about those boys of hers, he´d have to step in and deal with them too. He didn't want to interfere just yet, though. He wanted to give his wife a chance, and fulfill his obligations as a father while doing it. Even if he wasn't around much, he felt he…

"What right do you have to talk to me like this?"

He was pulled back from his thoughts at that tearful statement. "Huh?" he asked.

Ema met his eyes. For the first time, she looked angry.

"You can´t talk to me like this, papa," she said, and her voice wavered on the last word. "Calling you is not the same as having you here. You don't know what happens in this house because neither you nor Miwa-san are ever around. Before you met her, you were away half the time. You used to come to my school festivals, you spent my birthdays and the holidays with me. You weren't the best father, but you _tried_."

She fisted her hands. "After you two met and got married, you left me. You sent me here and this is the second time in almost two years that I´ve seen you, counting the wedding. You left me to deal with a house full of boys, when before you kept me alone and to fend for myself. You haven't called even once. Miwa-san hasn't either. It means you two were busy and didn't want to be disturbed. You say you were a phone call away all this time. It isn't the truth. You say I´m your top priority… that´s a lie."

She clenched her hands so hard they hurt. "I may have been before, but not anymore. You care only about your life and your wife, not me. You care about your happiness alone."

Rintarou gaped at her. "So now you´re saying all of this is my fault?"

"No! It´s not what I´m saying at all. What I mean is you don't have the right to tell me to behave and be responsible when you've never set an example. I… I love you. I am thankful to you for taking me in after my real parents died. Yet you have no right to tell me to stop being selfish when you are more selfish than I."

She stood up, her eyes brimming with tears. "I know I have a lot of amends to make. I am aware I have to fix things. Louis-san doesn't deserve this. Masaomi-san and Kazuhiko-san don't either. I have to… take responsibility for what I´ve done." She swallowed hard. "But don't think I´ve come to this conclusion because of your acting like a father at long last. Louis-san is who made me realize what I have to do. Not you… papa. It´s never been you."

Crying for the umpteenth time in as many hours, Ema left the room.

Rintarou remained seated, dumbfounded at what his daughter had said. He did try to get up, follow her and say something back, but his mind was blank. He couldn't find any words to contradict her statements.

It took her a couple of minutes he couldn't think what to say because there was _nothing _to say.

Ema was right. What right did he have to call her out or her selfishness when he was so much worse? He´d never been able to give up the world for her. He´d pushed her farther away when Miwa came into the picture. He said she´d always been his top priority.

He´d always lied to her, and even to himself.

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Miwa returned to the Sunrise Residence soon after her conversation with Masaomi was over. Rintarou had driven with Ema and her three boys back to the apartments as soon as Kazuhiko walked out of Louis´s room. Hikaru had been the one who suggested they all went back home since they would be useless if they stayed at the hospital. Miwa had told Rintarou to go along. She wanted to stay until Masaomi came out. At her request, the others had taken the family minivan –which Hikaru had driven to the hospital– and had left Ukyo´s car behind so she could use it.

The drive to the apartments seemed to take much longer than she remembered. She felt like many hours had passed by the time she parked outside the building. It wasn't until she stood in front of the huge bare tree on the front yard that she realized it_ had_ been hours since she´d come to the Sunrise Residence. Scratch hours. It had been years.

Whether her little talk with Masaomi had made her look at this place with new eyes or whether he´d only opened the ones she had before, she felt like a stranger as she walked into the building. Pushing the button to call the elevator felt odd. Stepping out into the fifth floor was like stepping into some sort of mine field.

Had it always been like this and she´d just started to notice?

The Asahina family minus Fuuto, Masaomi, Louis and Ema were all sitting on the sofas. Wataru had shoved the coffee table to one side and had placed himself in its place. He was surrounded by toys, empty boxes, bows and colorful paper. However, he wasn't playing with anything. His eyes were focused on the TV, as were all the others. They all had a Christmas-themed mug on their hands. Hot chocolate, she guessed.

The image they made was endearing. At her first glance Miwa could tell how close they were, how much feeling surrounded her sons. They were a family. She was not part of it. Even if she had been sitting there with them, she knew she wouldn't fit.

She gave a sad smile, sighed and stepped out of the elevator.

"Hello, boys. I´m home," she called.

There was no call of 'welcome back, mom!'. There wasn't any welcoming smiles for her. Not one of her sons got up to hug her and walk her in.

All eyes flickered to her, though, and gentle but indifferent smiles covered the Asahinas´ faces like mushrooms after the rain. There were some waves, some calls of 'hey, mom', 'merry Christmas, mom' and 'oh, you´re back'.

With each passing second, Miwa realized how what Louis had done with Masaomi applied to the other brothers as well.

Louis didn't have a mother. He did have a father: Masaomi. No one else. What did this imply? It implied Masaomi had raised him, had treated him like a son instead of a brother. It meant the doctor had taken a responsibility that wasn't his. Masaomi was his… _their _father.

She was sure if Masaomi had come into the living room right behind her, all her boys would get up and greet him with enthusiasm, a thousand questions, a steaming cup of chocolate and the best spot for him on the biggest couch.

The knowledge alone hurt.

"What are you guys watching?" she asked, forcing a genuine smile onto her face. She ambled to the couches.

Wataru glanced up at her with his mouth tainted brown. "Old movies," he said.

"… Old movies?"

"Yes. Natsu-nii downloaded them for us to watch. He said it might help us pass time until we can all go down to the hospital to visit Louie-tan."

There was a thunderous silence. The tension rode up two or three notches. Miwa shifted on her feet.

"Louis…" she began.

"Don't!" Hikaru cut off, raising a hand to stop her. "Don't talk about that. I´ve already told them what happened at the hospital." His green eyes met hers, trying to send a message.

Iori said, "We told the others how Louis-nii-san woke up but didn't feel well enough to see us. How he was very sad and weak and how Masaomi-nii-san asked us to leave and come back tomorrow so he could rest a little more. Right, Subaru-nii-san?" Iori glanced at Subaru, who nodded, trying to look like he truly believed what Iori had said.

It took her a few minutes to get it, but when she realized the sugar-coated lies Hikaru had told the men that hadn't gone to the hospital, she nodded. "Of course. I´m sure Louis will be glad to see you when he´s feeling stronger," she said.

Hikaru exhaled.

Miwa glanced around. "Where is… Rintarou?" she ventured.

"Rintarou-san took onee-chan to your studio for a talk," Wataru informed.

"We´re done talking," the man in question said, coming from one of the hallways. He walked towards Miwa with a sad expression on his face.

"How did it go?" she asked, even though she had no idea what the two of them talked about.

"We´ve had better days," he grumbled, then crooked a finger at her. "You and I need to talk too, Miwa."

She blinked at him. "You and I?"

"Yes. Right now, if possible."

Another blink. "Oh. Um. Yes, of course. Just let me go check on Fuuto to see if he…"

"Fuuto isn't here," Azusa informed them, which made the couple realize their conversation was being overheard by over eight pairs of eyes.

"What do you mean Fuuto isn't here?" she asked. "Is he still at the hospital? Masaomi didn't mention it to me."

The brothers exchanged glances. Ukyo was the one who said, "Fuuto was discharged last night. When Kaname, Natsume and I got down to the hospital, Masaomi-nii-san told to take Fuuto and come home since Louis was in surgery." The blonde´s lips thinned. His hands fisted in his lap.

"We tried to bring him home," Kaname went on. His voice didn't carry his usual amused or flirty undertone. "But he… well, he told us to get the heck out of his room and to leave him alone. He said he didn't need us, a bunch of traitors who chose an adopted… an adopted…" He closed his eyes, shook his head.

"'Go take care of your gay bastard and leave me alone. I don't need you traitors and your misplaced loyalty'. Those were his exact words," Natsume finished. He didn't look at anybody while saying it. Nonetheless, all the Asahinas tensed up.

Miwa was appalled. "And where is he right now?" she managed to say.

"He phoned his agent from the hospital. He´ll stay in a hotel until New Year. Afterwards, he´s going out of the country," Natsume went on.

Miwa paled. She pulled out her phone as she headed for her studio, leaving everyone –including Rintarou– behind.

Fuuto´s phone gave three slow, dreadful rings before he picked up with a bored, "Yeah, mom."

"Fuuto, where on Earth are you?"

"In a hotel."

"But it´s Christmas!"

"So?"

The teenager´s short reply made her pause. It was Christmas morning. So what?

"You should be here. With your brothers."

Fuuto was silent for a couple of seconds. "Are you here in Japan?"

"Yes. Rintarou and I arrived earlier today."

"Huh. Isn´t that a first. You in Japan. Is it a Christmas miracle or something?"

She froze. "Fuuto…"

He sighed as if Miwa was being an ignorant child. "Look, _mom_, I almost got one of your boys killed. Nobody wants be at the Sunrise Residence and I don't want to be around those traitors. I have an agent, I have money. I can take care of myself."

"But I want to see you!" she cried.

"You´ve had years to see me. You´ve never wanted to see me or any other child of yours before," he retorted, voice dry. "So don't start now."

"Fuuto, you´re hurt."

"A cast on the leg isn't a big deal. I´ve had to deal with worse stuff without you or the others. I can take care of myself, like I said before. I have no need for you or the others. I don't want your pity either, so…"

"Would you please stop being selfish for a second? I´m worried about you and…"

Fuuto laughed. It was unpleasant to hear it.

"Look who´s talking." Another laugh. "Don't you come to lecture to me about selfishness, I-See-My-Sons-Once-A-Decade-sama. Please. You live only for yourself, have treated us like adopted dogs all our lives. However, you should be proud of me."

Her mouth dropped to the ground. "What do you mean I should be proud of you?"

"I´ve learned everything from you. I´m just like you. Aren´t mothers usually proud when their sons take after them? So here I am, mom, your perfect little boy." After that, Fuuto snorted and hung up on her.

Miwa almost dropped her phone.

_Your perfect little boy. _

"Good grief. Fuuto," she whispered, horrified.

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Masaomi had to cover one of the ER doctor shifts for six hours and some change. As soon as he´d tried to walk back to his own private corner in the hospital, a nurse had stopped him and had almost begged him to come down to the first floor to help with the patients. The doctor who´d been supposed to be in the ER during the day shift had called in sick. Apparently, his family had had the traditional fried chicken dinner. It ended with all the doctor´s family suffering nausea, stomachaches and worse.

Masaomi had been tempted to take a rain check and go back up. However, when he saw a small boy younger than Wataru coming into the hospital sobbing and with his leg bent at a strange angle, he decided to stay.

It was past five o´clock by the time Masaomi was relieved by the head nurse of his self-imposed work.

He yawned as he walked past the pediatric ward. This was the place where kids with severe problems were; they couldn't leave the hospital because it would affect their health up to the point they could die, not even on holidays. While parents –if they cared– did come and visit their children during those special days and the whole staff did their best to make this ward the coziest, happiest one, Masaomi always felt guilty when stopping by. It wasn't like he wanted to take the kids home with him. Heaven knew he had his hands busy enough with his twelve 'sons' to care for any other…

… What was Kazuhiko doing running around in minuscule circles in one of the youngest kid´s room?

Masaomi stopped walking. "Kazuhiko-kun," he called. He sounded offended.

The brunette came to an abrupt halt. The kid who´d been either running away from him or chasing him crashed against his leg. He fell to the floor, blinked up at Kazuhiko and then erupted a fit of laughter.

Masaomi watched as the brunette picked up the small boy and walked to him, looking much like an abashed child himself.

"Masaomi-san," he said, ducking his head.

The doctor glanced at the laughing boy, then raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing here? It´s almost six o´clock on the afternoon."

"Really? I had no idea."

"How long have you been in the pediatric ward riling up the kids and playing with them as if you were also a child?"

"… Is it that obvious?"

Masaomi motioned to the picture in front of him. "Kind of, yes."

Kazuhiko and the boy exchanged glances. The brunette put the child down and scratched the back of his head. "I think I dropped by around one o´clock. I saw a little girl crying and asked the nurses if I was allowed to get close to her. We ended up coloring some pictures from her favorite book, and after that I went around the ward to talk to the kids."

Masaomi gave a thoughtful hum. "And the nurses didn't kick you out at one point or another?"

"I think they were actually relieved they had someone to babysit the children," the brunette replied.

Another hum. "So you haven't gone home since Louis last woke up?"

His face clouded over. "No. I… I thought Louis would wake up again and I wanted to be here when he did."

Masaomi clicked his tongue, then shook his head. "I didn't tell you, did I?"

Kazuhiko stilled. "Tell me what?"

"Louis will not wake up until tomorrow. Since he´s such a deep sleeper my guess is he´s not going to rise until maybe early afternoon."

Caramel eyes stared. "You said he was going to wake up around noon today. He woke up on the morning."

Masaomi almost flinched. "A miscalculation on my part. It won´t happen again." He sighed. "You should go home, Kazuhiko-kun. Go get some food, a shower and some decent sleep. You didn't sleep any more than what I slept yesterday. Louis won´t want you around if you´re half-dead and tired to the bone. You know how much he values sleep."

The younger man opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again.

"I could say the same to you. Louis will not take well the fact you haven't slept more than three hours in the past couple of days," he put in quietly.

Masaomi gave a nod. "So he won´t, but I´ll be going home right now. I don't have a shift in forty-eight wonderful hours. I´m going back to the apartments, collapse on top of my bed and rest for as long as I can. You should do the same."

"But if Louis wakes up…"

"You´ll be the first one to know and the first one to see him."

Kazuhiko looked unsure.

Masaomi rolled his eyes with genuine amusement. He dug into the pockets of his coat and pulled out a pen and his prescriptions block.

As soon as the brunette figured what the doctor was about to do, his eyes flew open.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I´ll go home," he said, throwing his hands up into the air.

Masaomi smiled and put his stuff back inside his pockets. "Get moving, kid," he ordered.

Kazuhiko sighed. "I´ll be the first one to know when he wakes up, right?"

"And the first one to see him," Masaomi promised.

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Kazuhiko was, in fact, the first person to see Louis. He wasn't the first one to _know _he´d woken up, though.

What happened was this:

Kazuhiko did as he was told. He went home, took a shower, had a fast lunch-dinner and then threw himself atop his bed. He fell asleep around eight thirty that night. He didn't stir until the next morning. Even then, he only woke up because his cell phone rang. Because Ryoko was the one calling him, his survival instincts told him not to turn down the call.

Once Ryoko had finished checking up on him and what he knew about Louis she hung up. Kazuhiko tried going back to sleep. However, his short conversation with his sister had thrown him into the worried, almost paranoid, state he´d been in the day before.

He couldn't go back to sleep. Instead, he took a shower, had breakfast and then milled around the apartment. Louis´s bags were here. They´d been at his place since the redhead had been back from Hokuto. Kazuhiko decided to prepare an overnight bag for Louis and accommodate the rest of the clothes and personal items in his closet. He also did a quick cleanup around the place… so when Louis got discharged from the hospital he would have a clean and cozy place to come back to.

Because Louis was coming _here _when he got out of the hospital… wasn't he?

He had no time to panic about that particular issue. His cell phone rang again. Masaomi´s number flashed on the screen.

"Masaomi-san," he said.

"Good morning, Kazuhiko-nii-san."

The brunette tilted his head to the side. "Iori-kun?"

"Yes. I´m calling on Masaomi-nii-san´s behalf."

Iori paused. Kazuhiko paused.

"… Did something happen to him?" the brunette asked after hearing the younger man´s breath coming through the speaker.

"No," Iori replied, then added, "Well, not what you might think. He did not have an accident on the way home or anything. Masaomi-nii-san arrived yesterday night and he has been sleeping ever since."

"Then what is this call about?"

"It is about Louis-nii-san." The brunette´s breath hitched. Iori pretended he didn't notice. "The hospital called Masaomi-nii-san a short while ago. They called to say the patient is awake for good this time. Masaomi-nii-san was supposed to go down but he was so tired he fell asleep in the middle of the phone call."

"Of course. He hasn't slept in days."

"Yes. I picked up his phone and the nurse told me why she´d called. Masaomi-nii-san woke up for a minute asked me to call you and go in his place to see Louis-nii-san. Can you go?"

What a stupid question.

"I´ll be there as soon as I can!" Kazuhiko almost hollered before hanging up. He ran around the apartment to fetch his coat and the bag he´d prepared.

He was on his way to the hospital three minutes after Iori called.

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What woke Louis up that morning was the sound of someone moving either a chair or a leg around. The screech wasn't very loud. Nonetheless, it was enough to pull him away from his deep and dreamless sleep.

He opened his eyes to the same ceiling as before. He took the time to feel his body this time. The IV was still stuck to one of his hands. There was a dull ache on his chest, and his left leg felt like it had been tightened much like a spring. He tried moving it to see if it loosened. The first stirring sent a sharp wave of pain through his whole body.

Got it. He didn't have to move his leg.

"Good afternoon, Asahina-san."

He turned his head. A nurse stood next to his bed, a gentle smile on her face. Was she the one from the last time? He wasn't very sure.

"Afternoon?" he murmured.

"Yes. It is past two thirty."

"What date… is it?"

"December 26th."

Louis frowned. December 26th? The last date he remembered was the 24th: Christmas Eve.

He closed his eyes, swallowed hard. With that single thought, he could also recall what had happened that day.

He shuddered at the memory of Fuuto and that drunk man fighting. He´d been scared back then, scared of what could happen to the teenager if he kept acting like a small Chihuahua, barking and jumping without a real reason.

Louis also remembered how the adrenaline had suddenly rushed through his body when he saw the man pull out the gun. For a split second he´d been incredulous. There was no way the man could have a freaking _gun _on Christmas Eve. Of course, he quickly had to forget about his sceptiscism because he saw the man point the weapon at the brunette.

At the moment, Louis hadn't cared what Fuuto had said or done in the past hour. Hell, he didn't even care what he´d said a minute ago. Fuuto was his brother. Louis did love him as such. He´d always tried his best to support the young star. He´d flown countless time across the country just to keep Fuuto´s tantrums to a minimum. When Fuuto complained he tried to soothe. When Fuuto seemed to need it he tried to give advice. Louis had treated Fuuto as his brother for his seventeen years of life. The fact he´d stabbed him in the back an hour ago hadn't seemed important.

So Louis had acted. He´d shoved the youngster out of the way. He had hoped to avoid the bullets the drunkard would surely shoot. He had thought he´d gotten them both safe.

In the end, he hadn't. He had ended up in the hospital. Fuuto…

"How is Fuuto-kun doing?" he asked.

The nurse blinked at him. "Fuuto?"

"Mm-hmm. He…" Louis stopped talking, decided to change his question. "Masaomi-nii-san?" he tried.

Her expression cleared. "Oh, I know who he is. He went home last night to get some sleep. However, he told me to call him as soon as you woke. I´ll go call now. He should be here within half an hour."

Louis gave an uncomfortable nod from where he was lying down. "Can I have some water before you leave?" he asked.

The nurse moved to get him a paper cup with a bendy straw. When Louis had swallowed what she considered enough she took the cup away and left it on the tall plastic table they served the food on.

"Any pain?" she wondered.

"No." Which for the most part wasn't a lie.

"And how are you… up here?" She tapped her forehead.

Louis gave a faint smile. "I don't want to burst into tears or have a panic attack. I´d rather not think about it," he confessed.

She lowered her hand. "Oh, I see. Well, I´ll be back soon with Asahina-sensei." She gave a shallow bow and left the room.

The redhead went back to staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to go back to sleep. He didn't want to think about the… _situation _either. The truth was he didn't want to think.

Leaving his mind blank was easier than he thought.

Soon enough, his mind had cleared. His mind was filled only with the white ceiling, the whirr of the conditioned air in his room and the ticktack of a clock. He found it relaxing.

He began counting along with the clock. He lost count various times due to the fact he felt sleepy every now and then. By the time the door opened again, he was yawning.

"Asahina-san, your husband is here."

"Hmm?"

"Your husband. He´s here."

Husband…?

"He brought you a bag of clean clothes in case you want to change out of the hospital gown. I think he´s been holding onto your phone and other personal items so he probably has them with him right now."

"Did you…?"

"I did call Asahina-sensei, but apparently he isn't feeling very well, so your husband came to take his place instead."

_His husband?!_

He didn't have a…

Louis turned his head towards the door. His eyes flew wide when he spotted Kazuhiko next to the nurse, his face tomato red.

"Oh," he said, then his lips curved. "Right. My husband. Hello there, Kaz."

"Hi, honey." An abashed look.

The redhead let out a breathless chuckle. "Can you leave us alone?" he asked the nurse.

She glanced between them, looked amused, nodded. "Yes, sir. Press the button in case you need anything."

"I will. Thank you."

Kazuhiko stepped into the room. The nurse closed the door. Louis tried to sit up. His arms shook as soon as he planted both palms on the bed.

"Well, never mind." He glanced at the brunette, who was frozen just inside the door. His eyes were cautious, his posture hesitant.

"Why are you standing over there looking so scared? I´m not dying, and whatever happened to me isn't contagious," he said.

Kazuhiko´s expression fell. He crossed the room in two huge strides, let the bag he was holding fall to the floor and hovered over Louis.

"Don't put words in my mouth, and don't joke ever again about death… less of all yours, do you hear me? It´s cruel," he muttered.

Louis stared at his boyfriend´s face a few inches away from his. He fought the urge to roll his eyes. "I won´t," he said.

"Good." Then Kazuhiko tipped his face up and kissed him.

The redhead´s breath ran out in a whoosh when their lips met. His heart beat faster, and the monitors made the agitation audible to them both. The brunette didn't seem to mind, focusing on kissing him thoroughly instead, their tongues touching for a short but precious moment.

"It´s uncalled for, but I love you," Kazuhiko said, tone soft.

Louis raised his free hand and cupped his partner´s cheek. "Love you too… husband."

Kazuhiko´s blush came back immediately. Louis rubbed his thumb over the latter´s skin.

"Did you force my signature while I was unconscious?" he asked. "You didn't have to do that. It´s not like I would marry you since we haven´t been dating long but it wasn't necessary to…"

"No! Hell no! I would never force you into anything. Not a yandere type of guy, remember?" Kazuhiko nuzzled into the pale hand. "It´s just… when I tried to find out what had happened to you the nurse didn't want to tell me because I wasn't family. Ryoko came up behind me, gave me her ring and after I slipped it on I called myself your husband. No one´s told me to go away ever since."

"Have you slept?"

"Yeah." When Louis gave him a look Kazuhiko grinned. "I went home yesterday and slept late today. I´m well rested."

"And you´re sure you´re not lying to me?"

"I´m not. Honest."

Louis hummed. He lowered his hand and sighed. "Can you help me up?" he asked.

"Um, I don't think you´re allowed to get out of bed."

"… Aren´t I?" He sighed. "Then please help me sit up."

"Yes." Kazuhiko kissed his cheek, helped Louis scuttle further on the bed. He leaned over the redhead –one knee on top of the mattress– then let the redhead cling onto his neck; put his own around the slender waist and back with great care. When he was sure Louis had a firm grip on him he exhaled.

"Do not force yourself. I´ll pull you up. You lean against me even if you feel like you can hold your own weight," he commanded. He waited until Louis nodded before pulling backwards.

The redhead´s body tensed, making him falter. However, when Louis whispered, "I can take it," he closed his eyes and kept on moving.

Louis was sweating and panting by the time he´d risen to a sitting position. He collapsed against the brunette´s body and held on for dear life.

Kazuhiko hooked both arms around his waist. He glanced down, worried. "Are you sure you don't want to keep lying down?"

"No." Mauve eyes narrowed to sleepy slits. "But if you don't want me to use you as a lifeline it´s fine."

The brunette grunted. "I told you to stop putting words in my mouth."

Louis smiled… then frowned. "Kaz?" he murmured.

"Yeah?"

"Were Miwa-san and Ema here at some point?"

He knew the answer by the way Kazuhiko tensed.

He sighed, rubbed his free hand over his eyes. "I kicked them out, didn't I?"

More silence.

Louis groaned. "I didn't want to do that, but it felt like there were many people here. I… I didn't want to see any of them." At the moment, he really hadn't wanted anyone around him. He wanted to have Masaomi next to him, and Kazuhiko too. No one else had mattered, and seeing those two women had made him feel almost claustrophobic.

Wait a second.

"Did I call Masaomi-nii-san Dad out loud?" he whispered.

The brunette raised his eyebrows at the question, the nodded. "You did. Do you remember anything else about the first time you woke up?"

"I remember everything, from the moment I walked out of the Sunrise Residence to the moment you asked me whether you should stay or go outside to keep all the persons away from me." The redhead shut his eyes tight and scooted even closer to the brunette. His hands squeezed Kazuhiko´s coat until they shook. Good grief. Was he about to cry… _again_?

"Is Fuuto-kun okay?" His voice came out hoarse and tight. Like he was in fact trying not to cry.

Unsure how to help, the brunette just kept hugging his boyfriend. "Fuuto´s alive," he muttered. "He wasn't hit by any bullet, if that´s what you want to know. He does have a cast around his leg and he´ll have some bruises in his face but he´ll live."

Louis caught the bitterness on the last part. After mulling it over in his head he said, "Did you hurt him?"

Kazuhiko pouted. "Not as much as I would´ve wanted to," he muttered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

The redhead sighed, reached out to clasp his boyfriend´s hand with his own, the one which didn't have the IV. He wasn't a big fan of physical contact per se. They both knew it. Kazuhiko was the one who started any type of affectionate gesture most of the time.

Today, though, Louis felt like he needed to touch and have someone close to him, a real flesh and blood person. If he didn't, his mind could focus on his own body and inform him what damage his body had received.

He didn't feel strong enough to face his current situation just yet.

"Louis?" Kazuhiko wondered.

"You´ll stay, right?" was all the redhead replied.

"What?"

"You´ll stay. With me. Until Masaomi-nii-san arrives."

The brunette was silent for a couple of heartbeats, then he said, "Yeah, I will. I´ll be right here until your brother comes."

"And after?"

"That, too."

Louis nodded. "It´s all I needed to hear," he murmured.

**To be continued…**

Hello there! So… this chapter came out long too, and it was kind of mixed around and overall lame… *sigh* To tell you the truth, the part I liked about this one was Fuuto´s phone call and this last part with the boys all cuddly and sweet was fun to write as well.

Still, I do hope you found this whole chapter bearable and hopefully Louis will be out of the hospital by next week. Fuuto has to come back at one point or another, and Miwa, Rintarou and Ema have lots of amends to make. We´ll see how everything goes with them. ;)

Thanks for reading!

P.D. Please excuse the many repetitive words, phrases, spelling and grammar mistakes you found in this chapter. I´ll re upload it when I have more free time hahaha.


	37. Chapter 37: Deals and Promises

**Chapter 37: Deals and Promises**

Masaomi stopped at his favorite coffee shop to pick up a bag of cinnamon doughnuts and hot drinks before arriving at the hospital. The nurses welcomed him and greeted him with their usual familiarity. A couple asked him whether he was coming back to work. He –for the first time in over five years– answered no; he was here to visit his brother and not to begin a shift.

The staff left him alone after that. They even let him carry the food to the patient´s room even though no one else was allowed to.

As soon as he was in front of Louis´s door he took a deep breath. The last time he´d seen the redhead they were both crying, and Louis was almost unconscious. It was a rather unpleasant memory, it hurt him. He´d broken down yesterday. He didn't want it to happen again. He wanted to go inside the room with a peaceful look to his eyes and a smile upon his lips. Four Louis´s sake and support he wanted to look as strong as the redhead always seemed to think he was.

"Alright," the doctor murmured, knocked a couple of times, then gripped the doorknob and pushed the door open.

Louis´s chuckle was what first reached his ears. He took it as a good sign, and his shoulder relaxed without him knowing they´d been tense in the first place.

His relief vanished when he saw what Louis was doing.

All blood left his face. He almost dropped the doughnuts in his hands.

"Asahina Louis, what do you think you´re doing?!" he squeaked. He squeaked because he was too shocked to scream.

The redhead glanced at his brother from under his messy hair and around Kazuhiko. "Oh, Masaomi-nii-san, hello," he panted. His face was sweaty.

The doctor gaped, then glared at Kazuhiko, who had frozen upon seeing the elder enter the room.

"Kazuhiko-kun!" he scolded.

The brunette shivered, tightened the arm he had around Louis´s waist. He glanced at his boyfriend, who had an arm slung around his neck and was resting his full weight against his body to hop on his good leg back to the hospital bed.

"Yes?" he ventured.

Masaomi huffed, pointed an accusatory finger at them. "Louis isn't allowed to get up from that bed until tomorrow at the very least, much less is he allowed to walk. What the heck is he doing limping around and what are _you _doing helping him?"

Louis gave another weak chuckle. The brunette flinched. "Louis needed to go to the bathroom," he murmured.

"And you couldn't call a nurse to help him with that? Bathroom or not, Louis isn't allowed out of bed. You came here to take care of him, didn't you?"

"B-But he insisted and… and since the bathroom was right here…"

"Masaomi-nii-san, don't be too hard on him. I was the one who insisted on getting out of bed," Louis said.

"And he couldn't very well tell you 'no'?"

"Why would I tell him no? It´s the bathroom!" Kazuhiko protested, his face red.

Masaomi stared at them both, then sighed. "You two are impossible," he grumbled, then went to the redhead´s other side to give him support.

"On the count of three we lift him up and we _carry _him to bed, okay, Kazuhiko-kun?"

Louis froze. The brunette snorted. "I tried to carry him before, but he said if I did he was going to break up with me," he said.

Masaomi blinked. "You did?" he asked Louis.

The latter blushed with what little blood he had in his body. "I am not a child, I am not a woman and I am not completely helpless," he pointed out.

"No, but you´re injured, and you can´t be moving around. Your wounds are still too fresh."

"But they don't hurt."

The elder gave him a look. "Don't lie to me."

"They really don't. A nurse came in like half an hour ago and gave me some painkillers. She said I´d be fine for at least a couple of hours."

"And you couldn't ask her to help you with the bathroom issue?"

"I didn't feel like going half an hour ago."

Masaomi gave another sigh. "Let´s go, Kazuhiko-kun," he called.

Five minutes later, Louis was back on the bed hooked back to the his respective machines, resting against the brunette´s chest to keep himself elevated. Kazuhiko offered to lift the bed, but Louis was still feeling touchy-feely, and he couldn't say no when Louis asked him to sit with him. Masaomi was sitting at the foot of the bed and watching as Louis rummaged through the canvas bag while the brunette rubbed a gentle and caring hand down his boyfriend´s arm.

Masaomi didn't know what to think. On one hand –for the umpteenth time– he was glad Louis had a man like Kazuhiko with him. It was more than obvious how much the brunette loved his brother, how willing he was to stay by his side. Kazuhiko was the company Masaomi had always wished for Louis: someone he could rely on and have fun with. Someone who would give him a sense of security and love. Of course, he´d always envisioned a girl being the personification of those hopes. Still, Masaomi wasn't really bothered it had turned out to be a man instead.

On the other hand, and after yesterday´s incident he felt like he´d lost Louis to this man already. If Louis or anyone else was in fact a girl and they had a boyfriend he was sure this… protectiveness would be worse. He´d raised them, he´d loved them as much as he could and had done their best for them. He´d always wanted them to be independent and strong. Seeing the young couple in front of him made him realize just how independent Louis was now. He supposed the others were like this is well, but it wasn't as obvious as Louis´s case.

Masaomi felt like one of his many chicks had left the nest to form their own.

Man, he was getting _old_ and poetic.

Trying to chase those depressing thoughts away from the front of his mind, Masaomi patted Louis´s good leg under the blankets. "You´ve been rummaging through the bag for a good five minutes. What are you looking for?" he asked.

Louis hummed. "I have something for you. I´d planned on giving it to you before dinner on the 24th but I forgot. It´s your Christmas present, Masaomi-nii-san."

"… My present?"

"Yes."

The doctor glanced at Kazuhiko. "Do you know what it is?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

The brunette shrugged. "I would have given it to you the night Louis came into the hospital, but I know how much he wanted to give it to you himself, so I didn't say anything. Besides, I thought Louis had given it to you already."

Masaomi raised an eyebrow. Kazuhiko smiled at him. Louis finally found the thick manila envelope in his bag, took it out and stared down at it. The other two men noticed the hesitation in his expression.

Kazuhiko worried his bottom lip. He began to pull away form Louis. "I… um, I´ll leave you two alone so you can talk," he said, but the redhead´s soft, "You promised you´d stay with me even after Masaomi-nii-san came," stopped him short.

"Don't you want privacy?" he tried again.

Louis shook his head. "Don´t leave me"

Those words –so strange coming out of the redhead´s mouth– and the somewhat vulnerable look in the mauve eyes he adored were too much for Kazuhiko to take. "I won´t," he said.

The redhead smiled his thanks, squeezed the envelope between his hands, then faced Masaomi.

"I called you dad out loud, didn't I?" he asked.

The doctor froze for a second, then nodded.

"It was the first time."

"That you´ve said it to my face, yes. However, it isn't like you haven't implied it before." Masaomi smiled. "And I´m happy you consider me your father. You and the others are everything I have."

"You are everything _we_ have, Masaomi-nii-san. You have no idea how thankful I am to you for… for…"

Louis gulped. "For being you, really. Always there when we all need you; always taking care of us, supporting us and doing your best for us. In my case…" He glanced back at Kazuhiko. "You´ve supported the relationship between us since the very start and have stood up to the others for me… for _us_." Another gulp.

"You´re incredible, Masaomi-nii-san… but you´re still human. You mustn´t forget it," he finished.

Those last few lines confused Masaomi. His chest had been swelling with both pride and tenderness at Louis´s little speech. However, the last bit made him tilt his head to the side.

"I…" he began.

"You deserve and need a vacation," the redhead cut off. Without further delay, he handed the envelope over.

The doctor raised his other eyebrow He took it, opened it…

A deep sinking feeling began to form in his belly.

Biting his bottom lip, Masaomi pulled out the contents. Inside he found various pamphlets about what things to do, what places to visit, which foods should be eaten and information about the Naladhu Resort in…

"Maldives?" he said, and raised his eyes back to his brother, who nodded."

"Okay… this is evidently a vacation package." He picked up the hotel pamphlet. "Why are you giving me this?"

A few seconds of silence, then Louis wrinkled his nose. Kazuhiko chuckled.

"Look at that. Absentmindedness is not an inherited trait but a learned one," he murmured.

"Hey," Louis protested. He half tried to elbow his boyfriend on the ribs. He failed –as expected– and ended with Kazuhiko holding him closer and laughing.

"Masaomi-nii-san, I gave you that because your Christmas gift is a vacation to the Maldives," the redhead said, turning back to the doctor. He adopted a serious expression. "You deserve a break from the family, from your work and from the rest of your life. You need a vacation, don't you?"

"Of course I don't. I have a job and a family…"

"But your life shouldn't be about your family and your job alone. Masaomi-nii-san, don't you feel like you need some time off?"

He was used to being asked this question. Several people had asked it at least once thorough his life. He´d learned to smile and say 'no, I don't need a break'. He´d made it his automatic response because he loved his family to death and would always be there for him, no matter how tired and furstred he was.

Which lead to the truth.

Did he want some time to himself? Yes. Did he want to be alone and worry only about his own well-being for once? Yes. Was he tired? Gosh, no. He wasn't tired. He was _exhausted_. This pants months especially had taken a toll on him.

He took too long to answer. His silence was enough for Louis.

"Please accept it, Masaomi-nii-san," he said, and managed to lean forward without so much as feeling a hard pull on his leg. He pushed the envelope farther onto the other man´s lap.

"Please accept it," he repeated.

"Do you want me to… leave the country, Louis? To leave you boys alone?" Masaomi asked in a muted tone.

"Don´t you want to leave us, at least for a little while? Like is aid before, you´re still human, Masaomi-nii-san. Even you need to cool your head before you can go back to your daily life. Most of us are adults and we can take care of ourselves."

"Wataru…"

"In Wataru-chan´s case… well, he´s got over half a dozen brothers to take care of him while you´re gone."

"My job…"

"You´ve worked here for so long and you´ve never ever taken a vacation. You´ve covered many times for various doctors who aren't pediatricians. You take more shifts than what you should. The hospital won´t tell you no."

Why wasn't Masaomi surprised to hear those arguments? It sounded like Louis had given this much thought and was already prepared to shut down whatever excuse he could come up with.

He rubbed his thumb over the paper. "And what about you? I can´t possibly take a vacation when you´ve just been injured."

Louis gave him a look, then grabbed Kazuhiko´s hand between both of his own. "You don't have to worry about me. I have a mother hen to take care of me."

This time it was the brunette who said, "Hey!"

The redhead nodded. "See?" he said.

Masaomi smiled, sighed. "Well, I suppose you´re right. You have someone who can take care of you. However, I don't think it´d be wise for Kazuhiko-kun to stay at the apartments full time while you recover. I mean, he could stay in a futon in your room but not everyone would be happy, so…" He shrugged.

Kazuhiko´s eyes went wide. Louis frowned. "Go back to the apartments?" he murmured.

"Yes. I made sure your room was ready and I´ll go check with the surgeon when are you free to go home."

"But…"

"Don't worry. So the situation might not be the best. You´re still our brother, though, and Hikaru and the others will be glad to help you out with…"

"Masaomi-nii-san, I´m not going back to the Sunrise Residence."

The doctor stopped talking. He blinked, processed the words.

"… You aren't?" he asked after a long silence.

Louis hesitated before shaking his head. "It isn't my house anymore," he mumbled. As if he sensed Kazuhiko opening his mouth to offer his place he added, "I won´t go back to your apartment either, Kaz. It´s your home."

The brunette craned his neck to stare at his boyfriend. "But you´ve been living with me since you came back from Hokuto."

"Yes, but I can´t be there for these coming months. You don't know how much trouble I´m going to be."

Kazuhiko looked offended. "And you think I care about the _trouble_? Louis, you´re injured and I will see you through to the end and beyond this situation, no matter how much 'trouble' it might mean."

"And if your boyfriend says that don't you think your family would do the same as well?" Masaomi put in with a stern expression. "I talked to everyone before coming. I told them you would need a place to stay. Not a single one of them protested or told me not to bring you back."

"And what if I don't want to go back there?"

"I hate to say it, Louis, but it´s been your house for twenty years give or take. Not even a tiny little part of you wants to come home?"

Louis didn't answer. He gritted his teeth. After mulling it over for a couple of minutes he said, "I… I don't know."

"Then you´re coming with me," Kazuhiko said, though it sounded more like it was a command.

Louis shook his head. "I know it´s a very stupid and selfish request, but I want to have my own place. A small apartment would be the best. I´d like to have a place to myself so whatever treatment and therapy my body needs can be done without anyone worrying too much or bothering someone else´s privacy."

Kazuhiko and Masaomi exchanged glances, then the doctor sighed. The brunette frowned.

"Honey, I don't think you´re thinking straight," he murmured. He prepared himself for an explosion.

Louis merely turned to him with confusion written all over his face. "Huh? What are you implying?"

"I´m not implying anything. It´s just… i don't know what goes through your mind right now. Whatever it is, though, it… it´s coming out as if you want to be alone."

Panic flicked through mauve eyes. Alone? No. Louis didn't want to be _alone_. If he was alone he knew he was going to have a bad time with his thoughts crowding and scaring him. He didn't want to sleep either. He was sure he was going to get nightmares if he did. And if he was going to have nightmares he didn't want to wake up alone and defenseless. Because he also knew he couldn't do much in his current condition.

At the same time Louis didn't want to give anyone else more trouble. While trying to figure out what to give Masaomi for Christmas he´d come to the conclusion that if it hadn't been for him, Masaomi wouldn't have had to deal with all this crap, Kazuhiko wouldn't have been involved in an incestuous mess, Subaru wouldn't have turned into a jealous Rottweiler and…

He gasped as he figured out where his thoughts were taking him. They sounded, first of all, like things Ema would think. That alone should have been a wakeup call. What surprised him the most was: if he kept thinking like this after his 'accident' he was going to get depressed for sure. He´d read about this. It was possible to get depression after being involved in a traumatic experience. He´d had a traumatic experience a few days ago.

He let out a soft moan as his mind was filled again with images about the last thing he remembered before waking up in the hospital. He began hearing Fuuto´s voice, panic settle in his stomach and then the sound of the gun away..

His head began throbbing. He hid his face against Kazuhiko´s chest and tried not keep his breathing even.

Kazuhiko went as still as a statue. "Louis?" he wondered, and tried to meet the redhead´s eyes, but the latter refused to lift his head. He gave a shake of his head and a breath that was so deep it hurt his already weakened chest.

"Louis? What´s wrong? Do you hurt anywhere?"

While Kazuhiko tried to figure out what was the matter with Louis, Masaomi´s eyes went back to the pamphlets on his lap. He tapped one of them with his fingertips, thought about what was being offered to him.

Was he worried about Louis? Yes, he was, but he knew he couldn't help the redhead with what was happening to him now. One part of him knew Louis was having a flashback to the night he´d been shot. It was to be expected. In fact, Masaomi had been surprised his brother hadn't had hysterics when he´d woken up earlier today. There was no way to avoid those sudden and painful memories. Louis needed to talk to someone about this. It was the best Masaomi could think of.

To his disgrace, it wasn't like he could rush out on the spot to get the closest doctor. He was going to schedule some appointments for him later. As for now, if Louis had Kazuhiko there Masaomi felt confident the redhead would come back to his full senses in little time.

Which left him free time to ponder about the gift Louis had given him. If Louis had been well Masaomi may have taken the opportunity after a little more thought. He would have made sure everyone was well tended, had all their limbs and not one of them was in jail before accepting to take a vacation.

As it was, Masaomi wouldn't leave even the city until Louis was up and running again.

The best way he saw to care for his brother was to bring him back home. He could keep an eye personally over Louis and the others like that. It wasn't like he didn't trust Kazuhiko with Louis´s welfare. Masaomi simply wanted to be there liked he´d been all his life.

"Louis, I can´t do this," he said.

Even in his mental hell, Louis was able to hear those words. He unglued himself from his boyfriend and looked at Masaomi with watery eyes.

"You have to," he whispered. "You more than deserve it, Masaomi-nii-san."

"Let me finish, Louis. I can´t do this today, nor tomorrow or even next month. I will not say otherwise until you have recovered. I´ll take the vacation afterwards. However, I will reject your gift right here and now if you refuse to come back to the apartments," the doctor finished. He shook the papers. "You care for me, and I am doing the same, so this leaves us at an impasse, I´m afraid."

Kazuhiko´s eyes were wide. He waited for Louis to say something, but when he didn't he said, "Did you hear what he said?"

The redhead heard. Yet… "I don't understand." His thoughts were too muddy and vague to make sense of the words.

Masaomi gave a lopsided smile, nodded at the brunette. "You know where I´m going, don't you, Kazuhiko-kun? Please inform Louis about it."

Kazuhiko´s eyes widened even more, the he nodded. "In a nutshell, he´s saying he´s taking the vacation you offered him after you´ve been nursed back to health by him and the others at the Sunrise Residence."

Louis pursed his lips. He managed to process the proposition without his head feeling like it was going to split in two. By the time he was finished he was surprised.

"You´re playing dirty, Dad," he accused.

The doctor chuckled. "So I am. What do you say, kiddo? Do we have a deal?" he replied.

It wasn't like he had much choice.

"Yes," Louis said. "We do have a promise, not a deal."

The doctor gave another smile. "Of course," he agreed, then stood up. "Now let me go get you a nurse. Kazuhiko-kun, we also have to talk about how to sneak you into the Sunrise Residence. Let´s eat and talk about it as soon as I come back."

**To be continued…**

Hi everyone! Sorry for the late update and for bringing such a short chapter this week. However, I decided to cut it here so next chapter will be about Louis´s discharge from the hospital and New Year alone. If time´s on my side, the next update will be Saturday. ;)

About this chapter… I haven't got a lot to say except it´s heartwarming to write Masaomi, Louis and Kazuhiko being at such ease with each other. It´s quite a relaxing father/son and father/son-in-law relationship hahaha.

Thanks everyone for reading and keeping up with the story! :*


	38. Chapter 38: Home

**Chapter 38: Home**

Louis was discharged four days later, on December the 30th. Though he was allowed out of the hospital he was to stay in bed for at least another week, to have physical every two or three days, plus a psychologist was supposed to visit him every week. The last had been Masaomi´s request to the hospital and his order to Louis; not to mention the doctor had also suggested/ordered Louis had to have a nurse –or brother in this case– around to help him move around and keep an eye on the wounds.

Kazuhiko had talked to Masaomi the night of the 29th and had asked to let him go and get his boyfriend on his own before bringing him to the Sunrise Residence. This was going to be the last chance in what could be months where the couple would meet each other in neutral territory. Louis was going home, and Kazuhiko wasn't very welcomed there. Mind you; this wasn't going to stop Kazuhiko from trying to be there every single second after he dropped Louis off, but it was going to take a lot more effort. If at one point he had to climb the huge tree in front of the apartments and then jump into Louis´s room to see him he was going to do it, no matter how difficult the task turned out to be.

Kazuhiko had said as much, and had pointed out how getting Louis from the hospital would keep him from doing stupider things than if he didn't go. This was for everyone´s welfare, he´d said. After a long silence, the doctor had complied: the brunette was to pick up Louis and then bring him to the Sunrise Residence while Masaomi broke down the situation to his brothers and gave the express order not to intervene in the couple´s interaction. Masaomi also said he was going to make sure Kazuhiko entered the building without him having to climb any trees and end in the hospital himself.

The morning of the 30th, the brunette arrived at the hospital a few minutes before noon. All patients were usually released at two on the afternoon, which was when visiting hours began. Masaomi hadn't wanted Louis to come home after lunch, so he´d pulled even more strings to get him out of the hospital at noon.

Kazuhiko felt like he´d been entrusted with a very important mission… which was the case, he supposed. Louis was one of –or maybe _the _most important person in his life at this point– and he was going to do a damn good job on getting him home safe both in mind and body.

The nurses in the reception and Louis´s floor had memorized his face by now and not one of them asked why he was visiting when it wasn't the time. He suspected he´d become somewhat of an anomaly because the rumor of having a same-sex married couple had been spread throughout the hospital and the staff wanted to either see them or avoid them at all costs. Kazuhiko didn't think the nurses had bothered to check Louis´s file to see if he was indeed married. That suited Kazuhiko just fine. He´d been able to get away with 'privileges' a boyfriend couldn't have obtained.

The nurse from the very first night met him right in front of Louis´s room. She didn't make small talk, only gave him indications on how to take care of Louis and also warning him about the many orders the surgeon who´d operated Louis would give them as soon as he went inside. When Kazuhiko had finished typing everything down into his phone, she gave an approving nod and opened the door.

Louis looked up from where he was being helped into a wheelchair when Kazuhiko and the nurse came inside. His hair was damp, and he was already bundled up in sweater, a jacket, a scarf and had a wool hat fisted in one hand.

"Hi, Kaz," he called with a warm smile on his back-to-normal rosy lips.

"Hi, honey," the brunette replied. He´d used the appellative for the week Louis had been here, and it looked like it was going to stick. If the redhead didn't protest, he wasn't going to stop using it, at the very least.

Kazuhiko ignored both the surgeon who´d been talking to Louis and the nurse helping the latter to walk forward and grab the other man´s arm. With extreme care, he managed to get his boyfriend on the wheelchair without hearing anything but a small grunt of pain.

When Louis was as comfortable as he could get in his seat, Kazuhiko turned to the doctor.

"Sorry for the intrusion," he said.

The man eyed him, then tilted his head to the side. "You are Asahina-sensei´s brother-in-law, aren't you?"

"That´s right."

"Asahina-kun´s husband."

"Yes."

"Do you live together?" At the brunette´s suspicious expression the doctor added, "Your personal lives aren't any of my business. However, I need to know if you are in fact married and live together in order to give you some last-minute indications. Otherwise, I need to talk to whoever will take care of Asahina-kun."

Oh.

Since they were supposed to be married and hence living together, Kazuhiko said, "Of course I´m the one who will be taking care of him." Even though it was a lie and Masaomi was going to oversee the redhead´s recuperation process for the most part.

The doctor didn't need to know that, though, and whether he believed what Kazuhiko told him or not, he nodded and resumed his talking with the young couple.

Ten minutes later, the doctors and nurses were gone. The brunette was frowning down at his phone. Louis stared at him and fiddled with the zipper on his outer jacket.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

Kazuhiko frowned harder. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"You´re frowning. You never frown. The apocalypse must be near."

The former blinked, then adopted a sheepish expression. "It´s nothing. I´m worried whether I managed to type it all down or not. The doctor and the nurse gave me one too many indications. What if I missed one about the little blue pills you´re supposed to…?"

Louis rolled his eyes. "I´m not a kid. You don't have to remember everything for me. The doctor talked to me before too. Besides, I can take care of myself."

"Um… yeah, I don't quite think…"

"You know what I mean, Kaz."

Kazuhiko chuckled, put his phone away. He reached out to run his thumb over Louis´s cheek. He was pale, but the pale Kazuhiko remembered and not the horrible white color he´d had the first two days he´d been in the hospital.

"Ready to go home?" he murmured.

"No."

"… _No_?"

"No," Louis echoed, then gave a small smile. "What answer did you expect? I´m not too thrilled about going home to face everybody."

"My offer still stands. If you don't want to go back there, my apartment is ready to welcome you."

"Would you really want an injured man pestering your house?"

"Would I really want to look after the man I love day in and day out, to take care of and pamper him as much as I´ve always wanted? Sounds terrible, absolutely terrible." He gave a small wink.

A faint blush covered the redhead´s cheeks. "Then maybe I´m glad I´m going home after all"

"So cruel." Kazuhiko mumbled, then leaned down to peck his lips. "But I´m very happy and relieved you´re well enough to leave the hospital."

Louis slid a hand under the brunette´s hair and pulled him closer. He parted his lips, his tongue slid outward, searching, yearning. The need to have Kazuhiko near hadn't waned in the days he´d been in the hospital bed. Louis still felt like his head was going to explode if there wasn't anyone with him to distract him, and no one was as good as taking his mind off things as Kazuhiko. He´d done an amazing job being supportive yet authoritative these past four days. He hadn't been allowed to stay overnight again, but Masaomi had arranged for him to be with Louis at least two hours more than normal visits. Plus, when it came to going to the bathroom, taking a shower or eating, Louis preferred to have Kazuhiko as a helper instead of a nurse.

Good grief. Louis was becoming dependent.

When the thought hit him, he felt somewhat disgusted at himself. As fast as he could, he released the brunette.

Kazuhiko also pulled back, raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You pulled back all of a sudden, and I´m pretty sure we were both enjoying the kiss."

He fisted his hands in his lap, gave a small frown. He kept quiet.

The brunette didn't budge. "Louis?" he prompted.

Louis frowned harder. "Depending… it´s wrong, isn't it?" he replied after a short silence.

Kazuhiko raised his other eyebrow. "It depends."

"Depending depends?"

"Yeah. I mean: having a cup of coffee each morning in order to start the day is a dependence, but no one has died neither from taking one cup too many or not taking their daily cup. However, depending on… I don't know, breathing in cocaine every morning to make your life bearable… it´s pretty dangerous."

The redhead stared at him as if he´d sprouted a second head. He shifted in the wheelchair.

"That wasn't what you meant?" Kazuhiko guessed.

"_No_, Kaz, I didn't mean depending on things. I meant… depending on a person. It´s dangerous as well, isn't it?"

Depending on a person? Louis was asking if being dependent on a human being was dangerous?

The wheels in Kazuhiko´s head turned. It took him about thirty seconds to figure out why Louis was asking such a question.

"We talked about this already, Louis. As long as the person you´re depending on doesn't mind, it´s not wrong. Since I have this hunch you´re talking about depending on me let me tell you: sometimes I do wish you lean more on me from now on, even after you get better."

With that soft remark, Kazuhiko picked up Louis´s overnight bag and gripped the wheelchair.

"Off we go, honey."

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Masaomi announced Kazuhiko´s bringing Louis home over breakfast only hours prior to the couple arriving. There was silence at the table for a good minute and a half while the brother processed what had been said and Masaomi looked at each one of them, waiting for the reaction.

Hikaru was the first one to speak, not to his surprise.

"Louie-chan is coming home? Oh, it´s about time! It means he´s feeling much better, right?" the redhead asked, almost bouncing in his seat, green eyes filled with curiosity and relief. Due to the way Louis had reacted the last time he´d had any of the Asahina men around, Masaomi hadn't allowed anyone but himself to visit Louis at the hospital. Though he´d kept the others informed on how the recuperation process was going, none of them had gone to the hospital and hadn't seen Louis since… well, some of them since Christmas Eve.

"Is he still in pain? How are his injuries? Can he walk?" Iori asked, his miso soup forgotten on the table.

Masaomi wrinkled his nose. "He´s feeling much better; the pain has gone down considerably but he will have to take painkillers for another weak at the very least. No, he isn't allowed to walk yet. He has to stay in a wheelchair until the physiotherapist gives him the thumb-up on when to get up and walk."

"He´ll need crutches and a cane, won´t he?" Azusa said.

"Yes. The wheelchair the hospital will give him, but the other things…"

"We´ll get them for him!" Tsubaki interrupted, hauled his twin to his feet and they both went for the door. Azusa turned around in Tsubaki´s grip to ask, "At what time will he arrive?"

"Noon," Masaomi answered. Azusa nodded, and the two brothers disappeared into the living room.

"Masa-nii, Louis is coming back to his room, right?" Wataru asked, and he _was_ bouncing in his seat.

The eldest son smiled his answer, and the boy jumped to his feet and ran around the table to grab Iori´s hand. "Come on, come on Io-nii! We have to make sure Louie-tan´s room is clean and perfect when he comes home." Soon enough, the two of them were gone too.

Masaomi´s eyes roamed around the table. Kaname wasn't in the house anymore. He´d been allowed a short vacation for Christmas but had gone back to his main temple a day earlier. He and Fuuto were the only brothers missing right now; Natsume too, but he hadn't been around the Sunrise Residence since the horrible night.

He fixated Subaru with his stare. The blackhead fidgeted with his lap.

"Are you going to fight with Kazuhiko-kun when he arrives?" he asked.

Subaru sputtered, choked, almost died in his own saliva as he tried to reply. His face turned bright red, and he hung his head.

Masaomi´s stern expression didn't waver. "Subaru," he repeated.

The younger man pursed his lips. He glanced at Ema –who hadn't said a word since Masaomi had told them the news– and then back at the table.

Was he going to fight with Louis´s boyfriend when the couple arrived? Was there any reason to actually pick a fight with the brunette? Should he do it? Was there even the tiniest motive to do it?

Subaru thought back on what had happened since the night Louis had been shot. His mind flashed to Kazuhiko´s terrified and worried face when the redhead had been wheeled into the surgery room. He recalled the way Kazuhiko had threatened him and then how he´d hit Fuuto for mocking his and Louis relationship, according to what Hikaru had once said. Subaru also thought about how Kazuhiko hadn't left Louis´s side in the week the latter had been in the hospital. From what Masaomi had told him, the brunette had taken the place of the nurses and had been fussing over Louis and acting like a mother hen. From the doctor´s words, even Subaru could see how much Kazuhiko cared for Louis. How much… how much he _loved _his brother.

Kazuhiko hadn't dropped by the Sunrise Residence since Louis had left for Hokuto, which was over month ago. Subaru had kept Ema in check in case the brunette had been taking advantage of his brother´s absence and had been in fact contacting her or trying to get her in some way. Of course Kazuhiko hadn't tried _anything _and Subaru began believing that… yeah, maybe Kazuhiko had always loved Louis and it was Ema who reached out to him first.

If Subaru looked at it from a logical, mature, objective point of view the brunette had never tried to woo or even draw Ema´s attention. From what Hikaru and Masaomi said, from what little he´d observed Kazuhiko had been devoted to Louis since the very beginning, he _adored _redhead and looked after him like a… like a good boyfriend would.

Good boyfriend. Adored. Loved. Louis. Those were keywords. Subaru could work with those.

"N-No, Masa-nii. I won´t pick a fight with Louis´s boyfriend," he mumbled.

"You won´t?"

"No. I won´t do anything. I promise."

Masaomi tilted his head to the side. "Well, looks like someone grew up. Thank you, Subaru, for seeing the reality in front of you."

The blackhead blushed, got to his feet, stammered an apology and almost ran out of the room.

The oldest son glanced around the table. Only Ukyo, Hikaru and Ema remained. "Ema," he said.

She swallowed, met his gaze. "I know what I have to do, Masaomi-san. I owe many apologies; I have many amends to make, and I will make them."

"What about Kazuhiko-kun?"

Her cheeks turned pink, yet she shook her head firmly. "I still think he is attractive, but he´s not worth it, Masaomi-san. I know Louis-san doesn't want to see me ever again, and it´s fine if he doesn't. I deserve it. Still, I love him. He´s my brother, and he is much more important than my finding someone attractive." She bit her lip before adding, "And they are very happy together. I won´t ruin their relationship. Neither of them deserves it."

Masaomi looked kind of impressed when she was done. Nonetheless, he gave a dry laugh and rubbed his temples. "Did Louis have to get shot for you and Subaru to realize what has been obvious from the start? Gosh, today´s youth is so slow." He dropped his hand and pointed at Ema.

"I´m expecting a lot, Ema. Don't disappoint me ever again. Either of you."

She gave some rather bewildered nods.

Hikaru burst out laughing. When all eyes fell on him he gave the other three persons at the table an amused and sadistic look. "Louis almost dies and everyone wakes up from their little mistaken fantasies. How cliché and pathetic. It´s better than never waking up, though," He glanced at Ema. "You better fic what you´ve done wrong, Ema. Because if you mess with Kazuo, with Masa-nii, with _Louie-chan _or any of my brothers again I will take matters into my own hands. Don't forget that, and pass the message along to Subaru."

With that he strode out of the dining room. Ema sat wide-eyed for a couple of seconds, then she also got up and walked after him, calling his name.

Masaomi turned in his chair to stare at the only brother left at the table. "So?" he asked.

Ukyo didn't answer at first. It was interesting how he´d kept quiet through all this little scene. It was weird, since Ukyo was pretty adamant about kicking Kazuhiko out of Louis´s life and had defended Subaru and Ema up till now. Then again, Ukyo hadn't been himself for the last week or so. Ever since the redhead had been shot, the blonde had been quiet, useful efficient and... mostly quiet. Masaomi didn't push for an answer. He waited, he gave time…

It took Ukyo almost five whole minutes to say, "I love Louis."

The elder´s lips twitched. "Don't we all?" he replied.

Sky-blue eyes filled with deep regret. "Yes, of course we love him. Louis being adopted doesn't matter one bit. He´s family, Masaomi-nii-san. I may not have the relationship you and he have, but I´ve seen him grow too. I´ve helped raise him, I´ve seen him change throughout the years, and I love him." He fisted his hands on top of the table. "That´s why I had to go down to the police station the very night this horrible incident happened and put that man in jail. There was no way I was letting him get away after he hurt Louis."

Masaomi allowed himself a small smile. "And you didn't let him," he said, which was true, because the drunkard who´d hurt Fuuto and who´d shot Louis was already in jail. Ukyo had pushed all the lawyers, secretaries, police officers and even judges he knew to get the man a trial in just a couple of days. He hadn't slept for the first three nights after the accident. He´d stayed at the police station or had moved between the courts making sure the man wasn't released. Like Masaomi had done at the hospital, Ukyo had pulled his own strings in the legal area to make the case move faster. The man´s admitting he was guilty helped even more, but thanks to the blonde´s exhaustive, stubborn and passionate the felon was already in jail and his last hearing to know how long he was going to stay there and whether he could go out on parole was going to be on January the 5th.

"Louis will be happy to know you´ve done justice in his name," Masaomi went on.

Ukyo made a face. "I don't think he wants to see me ever again, but he´s still my dear younger brother."

"You should tell him all this when he gets home. He´ll be glad."

Ukyo looked hesitant and like he was about to retaliate. In the end all he did was stand up and began collecting all the dishes.

"I am very sorry for fighting with you, Masaomi-nii-san. You were right from the start. Please forgive me, and please keep on being the most solid foundation of this family. We would all be quite lost without you, and yes, I´m admitting one never stops needing his older brother," Ukyo went on, then he walked into the kitchen will the piles of plates and cups in hand.

Masaomi let him go liked he´d let all the others. He smiled again and took a sip of his coffee. This was turning out to be quite a productive and peaceful morning. If this atmosphere of peace and acceptance could last until Kazuhiko and Louis arrived…

"Good morning!"

Never mind.

"Morning," Masaomi answered, brought his cup to his lips and stared at what he had left. More than half a cup. Damn. He´d have to take it up to his room.

Miwa rubbed her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile. "I smell coffee," she said.

"There should be about half a pot left in the kitchen."

"Did you boys have breakfast already?"

"Yes."

She pointed over her shoulder. "There was quite a ruckus back there. Is something up?"

"Hmm? Oh. Nothing you need to worry about, Mom. Louis is coming home from the hospital today, and everyone´s already working on making the place look homey when he gets here." He stood up and picked up his cup.

Miwa eyed him. "Won´t you accompany me for breakfast?"

"I have a few errands to run, I´m afraid. Rintarou-san hasn't eaten either, so you can wait for him to come. There should be some omelets left in the oven." Masaomi nodded at her, then strode out of the dining room, past the living room and straight into the elevator with his cup still in his hand.

"You´re not finished," Miwa called after him.

"I´ll finish it on my way out," he replied, and then the doors closed.

Miwa´s mouth curved in a sad gesture. "Of course he doesn't want to even sit at the same table as me. Of course. Why would he?" she mumbled, then ambled into the kitchen to find the pot of coffee.

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It was almost one in the afternoon by the time Kazuhiko stopped the car in front of the Sunrise Residence. The brunette got down as soon as he turned off the engine, got out and ran to the back of the car. He pulled out the wheelchair, straightened it out, wheeled it to the front and opened the passenger´s door.

He was met by wide and unsure mauve eyes, half-parted lips and slender hands squeezing the wool hat from before as if it were a lifeline.

Kazuhiko stared at his boyfriend, then groaned and covered his eyes with his hands. "Grown men aren't supposed to be cute, Louis. Stop being so adorable," he complained.

The redhead stopped looking terrified and managed to look confused. "What are you talking about? I´m not…"

"Yes, you look pretty cute sitting there all scared and dubious. Don't try to tell me otherwise." Kazuhiko´s expression sobered. When he spoke again, his tone was soft and considerate. "But you are looking scared and dubious indeed. Look, if you really think you can´t be here or if you just don't want to it´s okay. You can go back with me."

"But if I do that Masaomi-nii-san won´t take the vacation he so badly needs and deserves."

"I´m sure you can find another way to get him to agree." Caramel brown eyes bore into mauve. "Tell me what you want to do and we´ll work from there."

Louis frowned. On one hand he would have loved to get the hell away from the Sunrise Residence. The last time he´d been here Fuuto had told everyone about him being adopted and he´d realized he didn't belong here. Masaomi had said this was his home and would always be. It wasn't like Louis didn't believe him, but a huge part of him kept thinking he was a stranger who had no place and no right to be in this building.

On the other hand, Louis knew if he didn't stay here Masaomi wasn't going to accept his Christmas present. He knew Masaomi had meant business the other day, and what the doctor said the doctor did. He was an honorable man, after all, and always kept his word. So, if Louis didn't want to betray the eldest Asahina son or disappoint him for being a coward, he had to go into the building and face his… er, the Asahina family.

Louis wondered if Fuuto and Miwa were still here. Miwa was the person he least wanted to see along with Ema. He didn't feel like seeing Fuuto either though he also wanted to know if the young idol was fine.

Had it been up to him, the redhead would have stayed inside the car pondering a thousand different trivial issues. However, he wasn't able to put off his arrival due to a voice saying, "Home at long last. Welcome."

Kazuhiko stepped to the side. Louis glanced up to see Masaomi standing right in front of him, his features relaxed, eyes twinkling with genuine happiness.

"… Masaomi-nii-san," he sputtered.

"It´s about time you get out of the car, Louis. It´s freezing out here, and Kazuhiko-kun isn't wearing a thick coat, from what I can see."

Louis glanced at the brunette out of the corner of his eye, but the brunette merely pulled his jacket around himself and gave him a reassuring smile. His eyes flicked to Masaomi´s almost neutral expression.

"I´m not getting out of this, am I?" he asked.

"Not if you want to keep our deal." The doctor smiled. "Besides, I promise you you´ll be fine. Everyone is waiting for you already anyway."

"Huh?"

The smile widened. "Get out of the car and see for yourself. Kazuhiko-kun, help me get Louis on the wheelchair."

"Hey… no, no, no. No. Wait a sec—" he was cut off by Kazuhiko´s arms circling his middle with gentleness and then he was pulled out of the car. He was airborne for a split second and then it was over. He was already sitting in the wheelchair and his leg hadn't even felt the movement.

Louis blinked a couple of times, then he frowned at his brother and his boyfriend. "I can´t walk. It doesn't mean I can´t move on my own or crawl out of a car seat for that matter. I´m not useless," he muttered.

Kazuhiko grinned. Masaomi chuckled. "I only asked Kazuhiko-kun to help you out. He decided to…"

"Please don't say the word."

Another chuckle. "Very well." He reached for the wheelchair´s handles, but the redhead held up a hand.

"I can manage," he said, then grabbed the small railing on the wheels and pushed the chair forward and backward, getting the handle of they worked.

After some experimenting, the three of them were on their way into the house. Louis had also insisted on carrying at least one of his bags. He was developing a complex, Kazuhiko thought.

He wondered if after he recovered he wouldn't let Kazuhiko coddle him. It had been hard to it before, but after this maybe it was going to even more difficult. Gosh, he really hoped not.

"Oh."

He was snapped out of his reverie by Louis´s soft gasp. He looked down at the redhead, who had frozen right in front of the steps leading into the apartments. He followed the other man´s line of sight. He let out a gasp of his own at the picture in front of him.

Most of the Asahina brothers right outside the glass doors. Wataru was holding up a "welcome home!" sign and waving it madly. Yuusuke and Iori were holding signs as well and had Wataru´s writing on them. They didn't wave them, but they held them in place. The other brothers just stood behind the three of them. Neither Miwa nor Ema were in sight. It was only the family.

Louis tightened his fingers on the little railings until they turned white. He began sweating cold. His hands moved and the chair began moving backwards, but Yuusuke´s cry of, "Don´t go!" stopped him.

His eyes darted to the fiery redhead, who –much to everyone´s amazement– dropped the sign and rushed forward to launch himself straight to the chair. Louis let out a cough when Yuusuke hugged him tight, and his eyes flew wide.

"Yuusuke-kun?" he asked.

"Louis-nii, don't go away. Not again. We´re your family and this is your home," Yuusuke replied, and he sounded like he was about to cry. "It doesn't matter what the bastard said or what he showed us. I didn't say anything on Christmas Ever because I was too surprised, but it doesn't matter whether you´re adopted or not. You´re _our _Louis-nii. Please be our brother like you´ve always been."

There was a thunderous silence. Louis tried to get past the shock of the hug and those words to think of an answer. He opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again and couldn't get even a word out.

Before he could give it another try, another pair of arms came to hug both redheads. It was Iori.

"Louis-nii-san, I´m so glad to see you. Nobody would tell me anything, and they wouldn't allow me inside the hospital and I didn't know how bad you were hurt and I… and you…" Iori´s voice cracked, and then he just closed his mouth and settled for holding both his brothers.

Wataru was the next one to act. He dropped his sign and rushed forward. He wormed his way between Iori and Yuusuke until he was the one almost on top of Louis.

"Welcome home, Louie-chan!" he almost screamed, and since it was Wataru, he cried.

"No one wanted to tell me anything, everyone kept saying you were fine but they wouldn't let me see you or talk to you! Louie-chan, don't disappear ever again like that! You scared me!" the boy exploded, then he hugged the three young men as best as he could and cried some more.

Kazuhiko was speechless. Louis had been worried about coming home and he was greeted _like this_? Why had he even worried? His family loved him, and the younger brothers didn't care about him being adopted.

Good. The Asahina family was moving in the right direction, in his very personal opinion.

"I told you he was going to be fine under our care, didn't I?" Masaomi asked him almost as if he´d read his mind.

The brunette gave a nod, then his eyes went to Subaru, who stood next to Ukyo. The blackhead shifted, turned his head. He didn't appear mad or frustrated; Kazuhiko got the impression Subaru was ashamed. What about, though?"

"Oi, oi, OI! Kiddies, move aside, give him some breathing space!" Hikaru thundered. He moved the sensitive trio aside and stared down at Louis before hugging him like the other three had.

"Breathing space, huh," Masaomi shook his head and laughed. He then addressed the group. "Alright, now do give Louis some time and space to catch his breath and process the fact we are all glad he´s home and that he´s our brother no matter what happens."

Hikaru held on for a bit longer, then nodded and pulled back. Louis´s cheeks were red. Now he looked overwhelmed instead of terrified.

"I… um… can we go inside?" he murmured.

Masaomi gripped the chair handles. "Of course. Straight to your room. You lot can harass Louis once he´s in a more comfortable position."

Kazuhiko let Masaomi push the redhead inside and let the brothers trail after him. He stayed rooted to the ground, not sure he wanted to interrupt the beautiful scene in front of him.

"Aren´t you going inside?"

He stiffened and felt his expression turn hostile at Subaru´s words. "Any reason why you care?" he replied, tone cold.

The blackhead scrunched up his face. He waved his hands in front of his chest and took various tentative steps forward. "Um… look, I… I don't want to fight with you, Akiyama. I really don't." He worried his bottom lip. "I want to… apolo… gize," he said, and it took so much effort to utter the last word.

Kazuhiko raised both eyebrows. Apologize? No, he must have heard wrong. "You what?" he said.

Subaru winced, rubbed the back of his head. "I want to apologize," he repeated, this time in a louder voice.

"You? You want to _apologize_?" The brunette couldn't help but snort. He crossed his arms. "Ha. Very funny."

"No, I´m serious about this."

"Right. What, you had a change of heart or something? The little girl made you say all this? What are you, a lap dog?

Subaru fisted his hands. He frowned. "Does Louis-nii know you´re such a sarcastic and cynic bastard, Akiyama? Or have you only shown him your good side?"

"Does Ema know you´re such a childish and possessive idiot?"

Subaru gritted his teeth. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten. He wasn't going to get mad at Kazuhiko for being defensive. Subaru had taught the brunette to expect nothing but fury and even disdain from him. This was his own fault.

"Akiyama," he began again, "I already said I don't want to fight with you and I already said I only want to _apologize_ for…" Okay, here came the hardest part. Why was Subaru apologizing? For jumping to conclusions, for misjudging Kazuhiko, for doubting his very obvious love for Louis?

"For everything," he summed up, "but especially because I thought you were trying to flirt with her, and looking back on it you´ve always loved Louis-nii. So. I´m sorry."

Kazuhiko´s eyebrows rode up even more than before. "You´re serious?" he said.

Subaru nodded.

"You´re apologizing to me."

"Yeah, I am."

"… Louis had to get shot and almost die for you to do this?"

Ouch. That hurt.

"Will you or will you not accept my goddamn apology?" the blackhead exploded, face red.

Kazuhiko made a face. "Does it matter? I don't think you should be telling _me _all this. Louis is your brother. He´s the one you need to talk to."

Subaru frowned.

The brunette sighed. "Apologize to Louis, make things right with him and we´re good. Fix this with him, not with me. He´s the one that matters, isn't he?"

Kazuhiko had a point. A hell of a good one.

Maybe the brunette had more sides to him than the devoted boyfriend and the cold and defensive jerk he´d met a moment ago.

Maybe.

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More than an hour passed until Louis was able to lay down on his bed. His own bed in his own bedroom in his house.

How long had it been since he´d been in here? How long since he´d rested his head against his own fluffy blue pillows and stared up at his clean blue ceiling?

He´d missed this homey feeling.

The last hour hadn't been what Louis would call calm. Though his family –his family, yeah, they were his brothers and this was in fact his house; he was warming up to the concepts once more– had taken him to his room and had begun fussing over him as if he were a small child. Everyone had taken a turn sitting by his side on the bed and asking him questions, giving him support, trying to make him feel better. Ukyo and Subaru had taken longer than the rest, and Louis still couldn't believe the conversations he´d had with those two. It had been a complete change from the last time he´d seen them. They´d apologized, they seemed… fine with the fact he was adopted and they hadn't thrown angry or disgusted glances at Kazuhiko. Louis was relieved, but as he´d heard Hikaru mutter, was there any need for him to get shot for Subaru and Ukyo to get back their common sense? Geez. It was progress, however, and what Louis had wanted to achieve on Christmas Eve.

Fuuto, Natsume and Ema were the people he now hoped would change their mind. However, he didn't want to see Ema anytime soon. He´d heard she was in the apartments as was to be expected, and also that Miwa and Rintarou were there. He didn't want to see the women, and he didn't care whether Rintarou appeared or not.

At the moment, Louis was feeling quite relaxed and happy about being at peace with his brothers. What was bothering was his throbbing leg.

"Is everything okay?"

Louis glanced up in time to see Kazuhiko closing the door behind him and carrying a small tray in his hands.

"Where are the painkillers?" he replied without even sitting up.

"I think Masaomi-san left them in the first drawer of your nightstand. Is your leg bothering you?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you have lunch first and then take a couple of pills? Unless the pain is too much, of course."

Louis did sit up this time. He eyed the tray. "You brought lunch?"

"Hikaru-san insisted." Kazuhiko placed the tray on the nightstand and searched for the bottle of painkillers. He grabbed it and sat next to Louis, who scuttled father on the bed.

"Lie down," the redhead said.

"Hmm?"

"Lie down on the bed."

"You have to eat, and take your pills."

"I´m not very hungry." Louis reached out and took the pills from his boyfriend´s hand. He patted the empty space next to him.

The brunette gave a light laugh. "Are you feeling okay, Louis? Apart from the pain on your leg."

"Yes. I´m fine, just lie down, Kaz." He popped a pill into his mouth and swallowed without the need of water.

"If any of your brothers…"

"They´ll knock."

Yeah, Kazuhiko didn't think so, but he laid down on the bed next to the redhead anyway. Louis snuggled closer without moving his hurt leg more than necessary. The brunette threw an arm over him and pushed away the bottle of pills with his free hand.

"Coming back here wasn't bad, was it?" he asked.

Louis shook his head, buried his nose in the brunette´s sweater. "It´s nice to be back home."

"Your brothers seem to have…"

"Changed? So you noticed too."

"The changes, as you put it, are obvious enough for even me to notice." Kazuhiko pressed a kiss to his boyfriend´s hair. "Subaru even apologized to me, you know."

"He did? Oh, that´s good. You forgave him, didn't you?"

"I told him he needed to apologize and fix things up with you, not me. I didn't hit him, though, and I didn't call him names either."

Louis smiled. "What about Ukyo-nii-san?"

"He didn't chase me out with a frying pan. I think we´re okay."

He chuckled, balled one hand in the brunette´s sweater and snuggled even closer. "Nobody kicked you out. It means you don't have to leave," he whispered.

"You want me to stay overnight?"

"Why not?"

"Futon on the floor?"

"Masaomi-nii-san would have a fit if we shared a bed, so yes. Does that bother you?"

Kazuhiko´s hold tightened. "Not at all. I´ll be happy to stay."

"Thank you. Oh, and you should hang around tomorrow as well. It´s New Year´s Eve. The Sunrise Residence gets interesting then."

"Interesting how?"

"Stay and see for yourself."

"How cryptic." The brunette grinned. "But sure, I´ll stay, especially since I didn't want to leave in the first place," he admitted. Climbing a tree to take care of Louis turned out to be unnecessary for now. Now Kazuhiko was going to stay as long as he could, which was to say until the Asahinas kicked him out. When _that _happened… well, he was already prepared to come back and climb the damned trunk outside the building.

**To be continued…**

I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS LATE UPDATE!

Gosh, I don´t even know how to say or where to start. I don't want to write a bible of author notes either, so I´ll try to make it (kind of) short:

First, my deepest apologies for takin so long to update! I know it´s been over a month and I´m sorry about it, but as I mentioned somewhere before, university here starts in January. It´s my very first semester, so I haven't had time to write anything. Homework is brutal T_T So yes, my deepest apologies for taking so long! Luckily, I have two weeks of vacation starting this Monday, so I hope I can bring another chapter the next week. No promise, though…

Second, I hope you liked this chapter! It´s time to start over and have this family start patching things up from here. It´s time for the brothers to look at what´s in front of them. Things not concerning Fuuto or Miwa can only go uphill from here. Yay (?)! We´ll see what happens with Fuuto later. ;) About Yuusuke here… well, I keep thinking he´s Rin from Free (don't ask me why :P) and I kept thinking he would cry and that´s why he almost cried here…

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read this late update and these silly author notes. I do hope at least one person will follow the story from here on and again, thank you very much for taking the time to read this! 3 3


	39. Chapter 39: Bad Omen

**Chapter 39: Bad Omen**

Wataru was traipsing around the bare tree in front of the Sunrise Residence when Kazuhiko arrived the next morning. Though he´d had his heart set on spending the night with Louis in the apartments, Ryoko had called yesterday to check up on Louis and to have Kazuhiko go back to her and Isao´s house so they could celebrate New Year early, given the brunette would spend the 31st with Louis and the couple would celebrate with Isao´s family.

It had been a quick, private dinner. There was small talk, a lot of talk about Louis and what he and the brunette would do from now on. There were some hugs and kind words spoken before Kazuhiko left for his apartment. He decided he´d spend the night there, stuff clothes and other personal items in a bag the next day and then go back to the Sunrise Residence. Which was exactly what he did, and a bit before nine in the morning, Kazuhiko found himself staring up at Wataru in the tree, duffel bag in hand.

The brunette narrowed his eyes, watched as the boy climbed between the bare branches trying to do who knows what.

"Wataru-kun!" he called.

Wataru looked down when his name was called. He grinned, waved with his whole arm. "Kazu-nii, good morning! I´m glad you´re back. Louie-tan seemed to miss you this morning at breakfast," he hollered.

Kazuhiko tried not to smile at the last part of the comment. Instead he asked, "What are you doing up there?"

Wataru´s smile widened. "It´s New Year´s Eve."

"So?"

"So it´s time to take the Christmas decorations down. See, Kazu-nii, Masa-nii likes to do a massive cleanup every 31st. We´ve done it since, like, forever! We sweep and we clean the garden and leave the tree bare and stuff. And this year it´s finally my turn to take them down!"

Wataru leaned his cheek against one of the thickest branches. "Masa-nii hadn't let me climb the tree before because he said it was too dangerous and I might fall, but since he´s so busy with Louie-tan now, when I asked he said I could, and here I am." He grinned for the third time in less than three minutes.

Kazuhiko´s lips twitched. "And no one has noticed you´re out here, up in the tree?"

"Almost everyone is still having breakfast… or sleeping. Louie-tan is cutting the Tsuba-nii´s hair." Wataru shrugged. "No one´s noticed I´m missing yet."

Kazuhiko sighed, put down his bag. He rolled up his sweater sleeves.

The child stared at him, curious. "What are you doing, Kazu-nii?"

"I´m going to help you, kiddo. I don't want you to fall off the tree and I´m not going inside either because it might tip your brothers on the fact you´re out here. The faster this is done, the better for everyone." He walked closer to the tree, eyed it up and down, then put his hands on the trunk. He wasn't sure he could do this. He hadn't climbed a damn tree since he was like eight years old, and even then he hadn't been able to do it very well. He wasn't the most athletic person out there, had never been really.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, gripped the trunk and hoisted his body upwards. After another jump, some wiggling and some muttered curses, Kazuhiko was standing on the tree, hanging on to the branches for dear life.

"The tree is not very tall. Even if we fall, it isn´t going to hurt very much," Wataru told the brunette.

"Yeah, well, let´s not even think about falling. Give me a couple of seconds to stop looking down and think about how I can land on my head and die, then we can take down the rest of the lights and other thingies you guys hung up here."

Wataru nodded, counted two seconds, then said, "Are you ready now?"

"… Sure, sure." Kazuhiko let go of one of the branches and reached out with his free hand to untangle the Christmas lights. He managed to work that one branch, then he moved a millimeter and began working on the other.

Wataru stared at him for a few minutes. He almost laughed, but then he recalled Ukyo´s lessons on common sense and politeness, so he turned away and climbed on top of a branch. He dragged his body along it and unhooked the ornaments. The branch bent. He didn't pay it any mind.

"Wataru-kun, be careful! If you crawl too far into the branch it might break."

"It´s no big deal, Kazu-nii. I´m going to be fine. Can you please take down the huge Santa ball that´s hanging from the far branch? Yes, that one!" When Wataru confirmed he meant the farthest, thinnest branch Kazuhiko was pointing at, the latter paled.

"H-How did you even get it _up there_?" he croaked.

"Tsuba-nii found a very large stick. He used it to put the ornaments at the very top."

"And you couldn't have told me earlier?"

"It´s much more fun to do it this way. Get it down, Kazu-nii, get it down!"

Kazuhiko swallowed hard. He knew the tree wasn't very tall, he knew if he felt he wasn't going to get hurt since the ground was covered in snow. He knew it, yet he didn't feel like making sure a fall wouldn't hurt.

"I can get it myself if you don't want to…" Wataru began, seeing the hesitation in the brunette´s face.

"Heck no. I won´t risk you having an accident," Kazuhiko replied in a sharp tone. He swallowed, threw caution out the window and stretched out both his body and his arm. He took a tiny step forward, then another, another one. If he jumped now maybe he could grab the stupid ornament and come down without…

"_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO IDIOTS DOING?!"_

Kazuhiko jumped a mile upon hearing the ear-splitting scream. He lost his footing, flailed his arms like crazy and tried to hang on to the branches only for his fingers to ouch nothing but air. He was airborne for a split second before landing on his back on the snow with a loud splat.

"Kazu-nii!" Wataru cried almost in a panic, then climbed down to a solid part of the trunk before jumping and landing on his knees next to the brunette. "Are you okay? Kazu-nii, are you hurt?"

Before Kazuhiko could answer, laugther rang out, loud and clear. Stunned but not hurt, the brunette tilted his head back to see Hikaru walking toward them, his phone held out. Was he… recording?

"Oh, that was priceless, Kazuo. One of the best falls I´ve ever seen in my life, and believe me, with over five little brothers, I´ve seen a lot good ones. I can´t wait to show this to Tsubaki," the redhead almost cooed, put his phone away and hunched down on the other side of Kazuhiko.

"You´re not really hurt, are you? I mean, the snow must have cushioned your fall," he continued.

"You scared us!" Wataru accused. "I thought it was Masa-nii coming out to pull my ears or something, and Kazu-nii´s too."

"That was kind of the impression I wanted to make, kiddo. I didn't expect either of you to fall, though, but it looks like Louie-chan´s beau is a bit clumsy."

Kazuhiko frowned up Hikaru. "Very funny, Hikaru-san. It wouldn't be any good if I had actually gotten hurt. I can´t take care of Louis if I´m in a hospital bed," he pointed out.

"On the contrary, Kazuo, on the contrary. If you were in a hospital bed yourself then Louis would have no reason to get out of his own, or yours, for that matter."

The brunette´s cheeks flared red. Wataru glanced between the two of them, confused, then shrugged. "You´re not going to tell Masa-nii, are you, Hika-chan? He did give me permission to come out and do this."

"No, I won´t tell, and he only gave you permission because he was too busy fussing over Louis trying to get out of his damn chair."

_That _caught Kazuhiko´s attention.

"Wait. What?!" he cried, and sat up as fast as he could.

Hikaru gave him an amused glance. "Yeah, figured that little bit would get your attention. I actually saw you trying to act like a monkey from inside the building, so I thought I´d come out here and drag your butt inside so you can knock some sense into Louie-chan… and have some fun in the process," he said.

The brunette frowned. Wataru said, "You can be scary sometimes, Hika-chan."

"Isn´t it, great, Wataru? Don't I brighten up everyone´s life with a little fear?" Hikaru winked at the child, then grabbed Kazuhiko´s arm and helped him to his feet.

"Now do go inside, Kazuo, and try to deal with your boyfriend. Oh, and try to talk him out of cutting his hair, too. He said he wanted to do it after he finished with Tsubaki´s, what with the new year around the corner and who knows what else," he said. He watched Kazuhiko go pale at the last part, and he patted his shoulder.

"Go, save his beautiful and exotic hair," he said.

Kazuhiko fled.

Wataru eyed Hikaru, who grinned at his youngest brother. "You and I, let´s get up that tree and finish with the decorations before Masa-nii notices we´re not inside."

"You´re going to help me?" Wataru asked.

"Are you kidding me? I love doing this, and it´s fun when Ukyo comes out and sees me doing it. It makes him mad. Let´s get you up. One, two… three!"

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Louis had had an epiphany while trimming Tsubaki´s hair and then reapplying the white dye on the long black roots. Tsubaki said he hadn't let anyone touch his hair since the last time Louis had dyed it, which meant it had been well over two, almost three months. The twin´s hair was back to his natural black with only the tips white. Though it looked stylish Tsubaki had almost begged Louis to fix it as soon as he was done with breakfast.

Eager to do what he knew best, the redhead had complied, and after having finished their food Tsubaki had wheeled him up to the third-floor bathroom because it was the biggest in the house.

Louis had tried to stand up to cut his brother´s hair because doing so while sitting was just impossible. That of course sent Tsubaki into a panic and had him yelling for Masaomi to come up and make sure Louis was still sane. The oldest son stayed and almost ended up arguing with Louis on how he didn't have to get out of the chair and Tsubaki could wait, but Louis was adamant about doing his job as a hairdresser and of standing on his own two feet. After much arguing with Masaomi, the doctor allowed him out of the chair only if he got to oversee the whole process. Louis accepted for one simple reason: the new year was hours away, and he didn't want to start it in a freaking wheelchair.

That´s when the epiphany came_: the new year was around the corner._ This was a chance – a bit sudden, perhaps, but a chance nonetheless – to put various issues behind him, issues concerning his family and their relationship with Kazuhiko. He would have said it was a chance to put the shooting behind him as well. However, since he refused to even think about it he discarded the idea.

With the sudden revelation of what this new year could mean to him if he did things right and if he tried to clean his spirit with this new beginning came another thought:

New year, a fresh start… why not put more effort into it and change his appearance to show how determined he was to make the coming year much better than this last one?

Since he thought it while cutting Tsubaki´s hair, all he did was glance at himself in the mirror for a couple of seconds before deciding what he was going to change about his own body.

Tsubaki left the bathroom as soon as Louis was done with him. The redhead let out a tired sigh and leaned against the sink. Masaomi – who´d stayed in the doorway this whole time – said, "You looked tired. You need to sit down."

"I´m fine. In a little pain, but fine," Louis insisted, then reached for his scissors. These were the extra pair he kept in the building along with other of his working items. The combs, scissors and other things he usually worked with were in Kazuhiko´s apartment.

Masaomi shifted as he saw the redhead play with the scissors. "Did anyone else ask you to cut or do something to their hair?" he asked.

"No. I´m going to cut mine."

"… Excuse me?"

Louis limped/jumped on one foot over to the bathtub. He then sat down on it, hung his head and reached for the faucet under the showerhead.

Masaomi stared. "Louis," he began.

"Yes?" the redhead replied.

"Your leg hurts, I can see it. Get back in your chair. You can cut your hair another day, if you really want to do it."

"No, it has to be today, and I don't want to start the new year stuck in a chair, Masaomi-nii-san. It´d be a bad omen."

"That is terribly superstitious of you, Louis. Your body is what is real, and it needs to sit down and rest."

The redhead shook his head.

Masaomi sighed. "I am going to kill Tsubaki for sending you into this dumb spiral which I don't understand at all. Did you have a revelation while dying Tsubaki´s hair? Is that it?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who had a revelation? Who the hell is turning into a prophet or god or whatever?" Hikaru´s voice interrupted, and then the fiery redhead poked his head into the bathroom.

Masaomi crossed his arms over his chest and turned to look at Hikaru. "He won´t get back in his darned chair, and he wants to cut his hair. I think working with Tsubaki set something off in his mind."

Hikaru frowned. "Louie-chan, what are you doing?" he asked.

"I´m about to cut my hair," Louis replied, then tilted his head and ran the water.

Hikaru frowned. "I thought you were trying to let it grow like down to your knees or something. You haven't let any scissors near your hair in like two years."

Louis shrugged as he let the water fall over his reddish-pinkish threads. "It´s a new year. Having a new hairstyle doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Masaomi sighed.

Hikaru turned to him. "Did that make sense to you?"

"Not in the least." The doctor shook his head, lowered his voice. "I think at this point and with whatever is going through his head right now nothing short of Kazuhiko-kun´s words are going to knock some sense into him."

"Looks like you've lost your place as Louie-chan´s conscience, Masa-nii," Hikaru replied.

"It´s gotten worse. I´m kind of hating the situation, but well." Masaomi shrugged, then shooed Hikaru away. "Now get out of here and try to see if Louis´s new conscience has arrived yet."

Hikaru rolled his eyes, gave a mock military salute and left the other two men in the bathroom. Masaomi went back to staring at his brother, who after getting his hair completely wet limped back to the mirror. He reached for the combs and began straightening locks of hair out before measuring, adjusting and cutting.

"You don't need to do all the stuff you did for Tsubaki?" Masaomi asked. "I mean, you parted his hair and then moved him around various times."

"It´s different when you´re doing your own hair. Most hairstylists find it harder. I think it´s easier, plus I also know what haircut I want, and it´s not very complicated."

"You know I´m very worried about you right this second, aren't you? Both because of you not sitting down and this hair thing."

"I feel fine."

"I think you´re depressed."

Louis´s hands froze. He looked at Masaomi on the mirror. "I´m not…" he began, but right then Kazuhiko spoke in a rather cool tone.

"Honey, your legs are trembling. Get back on the damn chair."

Masaomi´s eyebrows went up. Despite the endearment, the words were and order, one Louis was supposed to obey _or else_.

"Good morning, Kaz," the redhead replied. He continued cutting.

Kazuhiko stepped into the room, not realizing Masaomi was there. He went to lean against the sink and watched as the reddish hair fell into the sink. "The chair," he repeated.

"I´m fine."

"Your legs are shaking. I can see beads on your skin, and they´re not water. If you want to cut your hair it´s fine, but sit down. You are hurting yourself."

"I´m almost finished."

"Asahina Louis, listen to me." Kazuhiko reached out a hand and cupped his boyfriend´s chin. Annoyed mauve eyes met his. He smiled. Even angry, Louis was beautiful to him.

"Nobody wants you to go back to the hospital, less of all you. Don´t push your body. Sit down, honey. Please," he mumbled.

Louis´s forehead creased. They held each other´s gaze for a couple of seconds, then he sighed. "At least put some pillows in it so I can reach high enough and have a good view of myself in the mirror."

"Right away." Kazuhiko pecked his lips, grinned, then headed for the door. He froze mid-step upon seeing Masaomi.

"Oh. Masaomi-san. Good morning," he said, and felt as his cheeks turned red.

"Good morning, Kazuhiko-kun. Thank you for making Louis see the light. He hadn't been listening to me at all. It seems like his father doesn't have as much influence on him as before." The doctor motioned to the brunette. "Of course, given the way you look at Louis it´s no wonder he caves in." Before either of the younger men could respond, Masaomi stepped out. "I´ll be right back with the pillows."

Once they were alone, a still blushing Kazuhiko turned back to Louis. The redhead hadn't stopped using the scissors nor the combs.

"You´ve turned into a mule, you know," the brunette complained with a sigh.

"I´m tired of being treated like an invalid," Louis answered. "And trust me, being here yesterday was worse than the whole week at the hospital."

"Your brothers are taking care of you. Why is that so wrong?"

"It´s not wrong, it´s… overwhelming. It feels like whiplash, Kaz. Up until yesterday I hadn't seen nor had contact with anybody but Masaomi-nii-san, and now all of a sudden almost all of my brothers are acting like mother hens. It´s too much."

"So you´re trying to act out or something? But, I must say I´m surprised. When I left yesterday you seemed fine."

"Having you here made it all bearable, because when I was alone it felt like it went overboard." Louis peeked at the brunette from under his now-shortened bangs. "I´m depending on you way more than I should, aren't I?"

Kazuhiko shrugged. "Maybe. You know I don't mind, though. Will this be a temporary thing? Yes. Will you become your regular self when your leg heals and you talk this through with your therapist or somebody else? Yes, you´ll go back to normal. Will I be heartbroken when you stop needing me so much? Yes, but I´ll know I was there when you needed me the most, and that is enough for me," he said.

Louis´s breath ran out in a soft gasp. He felt his own cheeks flare red. "I love you, Kaz," he whispered, half-hoping Kazuhiko wouldn't hear.

The brunette heard anyway. He smiled, fought the urge to hug Louis. "I love you too, honey," he murmured, his eyes showing what he felt. "Now why don't you finish cutting your hair so I can then ogle you because of how handsome you look while you tell me why you´re doing this in the first place?"

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Half an hour later, Louis was freshly showered, with a new haircut, back in the wheelchair and listening as Masaomi assigned today´s chores to all the brothers. Osoji was as important to the Asahina family as the rest of the New Year´s Eve traditions. It was a tough job to clean the apartments on one day, but it all got somewhat easier given there were more than ten people cleaning. Masaomi had the habit of planning a chart beforehand and on the morning of the 31st he gave everyone their duties. It varied from cleaning out the garden to vacuuming the first two floors to making all the laundry. Still, he made sure they all got the same amount of work to do.

This year, however, the brothers seemed to have more duties than usual, given Louis, Kaname and Fuuto weren't going to help, the first because he couldn't; the other two because they weren't even in the city. Natsume was bound to arrive in an hour, so he had been included in Masaomi´s chart.

While most of the Asahinas would be glad they´d been relieved of their Osoji duties, Louis was uncomfortable. He felt he was being babied, and said as much when it was only him, Kazuhiko and Masaomi left in the living room.

The doctor chuckled. "You feel like you´re being babied? Well, Louis, that´s because you are. I figured you´d want to help so I had given you some easy work to do, but the twins and Wataru and pretty much all our brothers came to me one by one and told me 'Louis should focus on recovering. He needs to rest. I can take over his duties or him'."

The redhead was taken aback. "T-They… did?" he stuttered.

"Yes." Masaomi smiled. "You´re loved, Louis, you should know by now."

Mauve eyes darted to Kazuhiko, who gave him a wink. He found a slight smile curving his lips. "I don't want to be here all day doing nothing, Masaomi-nii-san."

"You won´t," Masaomi said smoothly. "You might not be able to help around here, but you´re capable of going out to get the incense sticks for the hatsumode and getting what Ukyo needs for the soba."

The redhead brightened. "Am I allowed outside?"

"If Kazuhiko-kun drives you, I don't see why you can´t take over _my _usual duties for today while I help out here. It´s something to do, isn't it?"

Louis turned a hopeful expression to his boyfriend, who barked a laugh. "Tell me where we´re supposed to go and I´ll take you there," Kazuhiko said.

"Thank you, Kaz, thank you very much!" Louis grabbed the railings on the chair and began wheeling towards the kitchen. "Let me go ask Ukyo-nii-san for the list and then we can go."

Masaomi let him go. As soon as he was alone with the brunette he said, "Thank you for being here for him, Kazuhiko-kun, and for reeling him in."

"To tell you the truth, I´m surprised he´s listening to me, Masaomi-san. With you around, I thought…"

"So did I, but he is still reluctant to take back the family, and he isn't yet fully comfortable being here. Plus, you having taken care of him for a full week seems to have softened him up and made him more… attuned to you."

"Is it temporary? All this shyness and insecurity and… dependence."

"I believe so. He needs time to recover, emotionally speaking, and he finds your mere presence healing. He´s quite vulnerable right now, even if won´t admit it even to himself."

Kazuhiko nodded. "I´ll do my best for him."

"I know you will, and I thank you for it. Please take him out of the house until we´re done cleaning and putting up the decorations, make him feel like he´s helping. It´ll ease his mind and stop him from doing other rash things."

The brunette shifted. "Cutting his hair was kind of unexpected, not rash. I understand he did it as a sort of… lucky charm for the coming year."

Masaomi hummed. "Maybe so. Still, please try to brighten his day, and we will make sure to make this night a good one."

"Can I celebrate with you guys?"

"We wouldn't have it any other way. You are family now, as well."

Kazuhiko grinned. Louis wheeled back in, his eyes sparkling. "I got the list," he said.

The brunette stood. "Off we go then. See you later, Masaomi-san." He nodded to the doctor, grabbed the handles on the chair and headed for the elevator.

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There were kadomatsu everywhere: around the tree, in front of the glass doors, lining the flowers Iori planted outside the apartments and there were even some others inside the living room. Kazuhiko had also seen one in the elevator and there were a thousand on the fifth floor.

"These sprouted like mushrooms after the rain," Kazuhiko muttered, glancing down at the front of the apartments from behind the huge windows on the living room. It was well past two on the morning, almost two, but there were still people milling and celebrating outside. The streets were bright and busy. He could see it even from here.

"It happens every year. Everyone puts up at least five kadomatsu," Louis replied from where he was sitting on the couch and watching his boyfriend stare out the window.

"Your family may celebrate a western-themed Christmas but New Year is still a very traditional holiday for you, isn't it?"

"It´s the most important celebration of the year. It started when Masaomi-nii-san was about six or seven. From what I´ve heard, there was an elderly nanny taking care of the children who tried to cheer them up for New Year because it was the first time Miwa-san missed the holiday. She shared with the boys her own family´s traditions and well, they stuck."

"That´s awesome, and very sweet of Masaomi-san, though he does keep a tight rein so everything can get accomplished, doesn't he?" Kazuhiko asked, remembering how his day with the Asahina family had been.

After spending the morning and part of the afternoon downtown buying all the items Ukyo had listed and also just wheeling Louis around to take his mind off serious things, the two of them had returned home to find the apartments squeaky clean, the place decorated beautifully and half the family getting ready to take a bath.

Louis had explained to him that after they were done with the Osoji, Ukyo and some other brave brothers would pile into the kitchen to make the traditional soba they ate every New Year´s Eve. Meanwhile, the rest would groom themselves, since after they were done eating it was time for the visit to the shrine. The family would stay there until midnight or past, have a cup of tea and a snack somewhere and then return home to end the day.

It had been… easier and more peaceful than what Kazuhiko had expected. He´d had his guard up without his knowing the whole time, from the moment he and Louis returned home in the afternoon up to the point when Masaomi pulled him away from the group to assure him no one was going to bit him or Louis. Even the newly arrived Natsume was behaving himself, and since Ukyo and Subaru had kept their mouths shut most of the time, there was no reason for him to be so tense.

"_You´re scaring Louis, making him think this is a plan to kill you both," Masaomi added, nodding to where the Asahina group was huddled at the entrance of the shrine. _

_Kazuhiko shifted. "I´m sorry, Masaomi-san, but after everything that´s happened I don't trust some of your brothers."_

"_Which is understandable. You may be quite a gentle man, Kazuhiko-kun, but you are not an idiot, and I´m not going to lie to you. There is a chance some of my brothers may fall into another whirl of stupidity. However, if it happens, you are not the only one who will protect Louis or you for that matter. Just look at Hikaru for instance."_

"… _You´ve got a point."_

"_I almost always do. Now, please relax and start getting used to our New Year´s Eve traditions. I have the feeling this will not be the one and only time you´ll be spending this day with us."_

After that short conversation, which made him think he´d been talking to his sister, Kazuhiko did as he was told. He breathed I and out a couple of times before going back to where all the brothers were.

The visit to the Meiji shrine had been enjoyable from that point on. Kazuhiko was actually hoping he´d be there next year to celebrate with the Asahinas. Ema issues aside, they were very good company.

Speaking of Ema…

"Where is Ema? Where are Miwa-san and Rintarou-san? We spent the majority of the day here in the apartments, but I didn't see them around," Kazuhiko said, turning around and walking over to the couch to join Louis.

"According to Masaomi-nii-san, the three of them left for Kyoto this morning."

"… For Kyoto?"

"Yes. It appears neither she nor Ema felt uncomfortable staying here, and since Rintarou-san lives for the two of them…" Louis shrugged.

Kazuhiko frowned. "Oh yeah, sure. They didn't feel comfortable staying here," he muttered.

"I kind of regret Miwa-san´s leaving. Whatever I said at the hospital… well, I meant it but it´s not like I don't want to see her ever again. Ema on the other hand… is it wrong to be glad she´s gone?"

"After everything you´ve been through, it´s more than understandable."

The redhead pulled his good leg against his chest. He leaned his forehead against it and sighed.

Kazuhiko raised an eyebrow, then inched closer. He ran his hand through the short and beautiful hair "Is something wrong?"

The redhead was silent for a little while, then he said, "Not really."

"Louis…"

"Honest. I was just thinking it´s quite a shame to start the year without being able to talk to Ema like we´re civilized human being. Makes me wonder whether we´ll be able to do that again or not."

The brunette stopped his petting, frowned. "You have a fixation with today being the new year, don't you?"

"I think it´s a bad omen."

Kazuhiko sighed. He moved his hand from Louis´s hair to his cheek, then tugged until his brown eyes met the tired mauve ones.

"You said the same about your being in a chair, that if you started the year in it, it would mean you´d stay like that for the next twelve months," he began, "and you know what? You were right."

The redhead´s mouth dropped to the floor. "Huh?"

Kazuhiko gave a somber nod. "You were right," he repeated. "Because if you´d gotten up from the chair and had tried to walk or act like normal, you would have damaged your leg further, you would have required another, more serious surgery and chances are you wouldn't have been able to walk again. So yes, it could have ended in disaster… one you brought upon yourself."

Louis stared at him.

Kazuhiko sighed. "I don't know why you´ve gotten superstitious all of a sudden, but I think deep down you know these bad omens thing is silly."

"It´s not silly. Okay, maybe you were right about how getting out of the chair would have crippled me for good, but cutting my hair will help."

"Help _what_?"

Louis flinched. "It´ll help me put this situation behind me for good."

The brunette gave another sigh. "Isn´t it a bit too early to forget?"

"No. I want to forget as soon as possible. Now, Kaz. I don't want to have nightmares anymore, or to shy away from my own thoughts. I want to start over with my family… maybe even Ema, and not to feel sick whenever I hear someone say Fuuto´s name."

"How can you forget when you don't yet understand what it is you have to put behind?"

Louis gritted his teeth. "No," he said, voice hard.

"Louis…" Kazuhiko pushed at the redhead´s good leg, who stopped hugging it without a fight and nestled into his boyfriend´s embrace without a fight, though he stayed rigid and tense.

"No, Kaz, I refuse to think about it."

"If you don't face your own memories and thoughts you will keep feeling terrible, and you will have more nightmares. I´m no expert in psychology, but even I know the first stage of healing is coping with what happened."

"… Why hadn't you said anything before?"

"You hadn't gone into this irrational, superstitious fit before. Plus, I thought I was meddling enough just by playing nurse." Kazuhiko shrugged.

Louis didn't reply right away, only stayed where he was, his breathing slow and steady. After a couple of minutes he said, "I´ve felt like I´ve been bottling up things. I don't want to let them all out. I´ll… I´ll break if I do."

"You´re entitled to break down."

Louis balled his hands in Kazuhiko´s sweater, buried his nose in the crook of his neck. His breathing quickened. "Stop being so damn attentive. I can´t take it."

"Then don't. Just let it all out. You haven't felt your own pain, Louis, and I think not doing at the beginning of the year _will _be a mad omen."

The redhead let out a short and almost broken laugh. "Using my own words against me?" he said in a whisper, unable to raise his voice any further. His throat felt tight, his eyes stung. His hands were shaking. He was about to lose it, because Kazuhiko was right. He had to face the fact he´d been shot and had for some fleeting seconds believed he´d been about to die. He had to face the fact the whole incident had been caused by one of his brothers. He had to admit he almost hated Ema and Fuuto at the moment. If he never admitted those things, how was he supposed to fix all that was wrong? And how was he supposed to talk to a complete strange about what was going on in his head when he couldn't even talk to the man he loved?

He opened his mouth, and the babbling began.

"I hate this. I hate the nightmares; I hate the sickness I feel when someone names Fuuto. I hate thinking about Ema. I hate the hospital, the doctors, being there. I hate the stupid driver and the gun. Why? Why didn't he leave it in the car? Why did Fuuto provoke him? Why did I push him out of the way? Just… _why_?!"

The knot in his throat almost choked him after that. He couldn't utter another single word, and the tears fell. Louis felt angry with himself for crying, which merely ended in more tears soaking into Kazuhiko´s shirtmand his hands holding onto the brunette for dear life.

Louis had been right; he broke down.

Kazuhiko let him do it, even though his own heart seized seeing him in so much pain and not being able to do anything about it. He did the best he could: he held Louis in his arms, pressed soft kisses to his hair and waited. There was no other thing for him to do apart from waiting, letting the redhead get off his chest all he needed to let out.

He didn't know how long it was until Louis went limp in his arms. At first, the brunette thought he was about to speak, but soon enough he noticed the even breathing and realized Louis had fallen asleep.

Kazuhiko gave a lopsided smile. He brushed away some stray hairs from the redhead´s pale forehead and stared at his sleeping profile for another couple of minutes.

"You´re going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine," he murmured. "And your hair looks wonderful. It is also an omen, on how good this coming year will be for you."

He pressed one last kiss to Louis´s cheek before slowly and carefully disengaging his body from the redhead´s and standing up. Though things were much better at the Asahina household, he got the feeling falling asleep together on the couch would be pushing at the limits of everybody´s comfort.

He ambled towards the hall in search of a closet and a blanket. When he found one, he came back, accommodated Louis and threw it over him. With one last loving look, he flopped down on the other couch and curled into a corner with a blanket of his own. It wasn't like he was going to sleep in his boyfriend´s room without him there anyway.

..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..-'¨'-..

There were no missed calls nor any unread messages from any family member… or any person at all.

With a frown, Fuuto let his phone fall to his soft and plush hotel bed. He then hopped over to the huge window in his room and stared at the city outside. Despite the early hour, it was full of life. It was New Year in Tokyo, after all.

Because Fuuto hadn't left the city, despite what most of his family would have thought. No. Fuuto had gotten a room in the most luxurious hotel he could find on the other end of town and as far away from his family as he could, but he hadn't left the city. A teeny, tiny part of him had hoped at least one of his brothers would chose him over Louis and come looking for him, or at least call him so he could go back home. He´d thrown tantrums before, and up until now, his family had withstood them.

Apparently, getting an adoptive brother almost killed was a breaking point. Go figure.

Still, was everyone so mad they couldn't even send him a shitty and cliché text wishing him a Happy New Year? Not even his mother or Ema? What was wrong with those two? Louis should be as angry with Ema as he should be with him. And Miwa… who would want to see that woman anyway? Was she even in Japan anymore? Even with the little knowledge Fuuto had on her, he figured Miwa had left the country and even the continent by now.

Fuuto clicked his tongue, walked back to his bed and laid down. He picked up his phone and stared at the unlit screen.

"It´s not like it matters. Who the hell needs family?" he muttered, trying to hide the tiny spark of pain he felt at spending such an important holiday alone. As far as he could remember, December the 31st – or make that January he 1st – had been family holidays, days to spend with his brothers annoying Yuusuke, fighting Hikaru, rolling his eyes at whatever Masaomi and Ukyo said and destroying the kotatsu the others put all around the house.

Oh, who was he kidding? He missed being home with his family.

Mad at himself for his own sentimentalism, Fuuto let out a growl and squeezed his phone as hard as he could. He was about to lunge it at the wall, already thinking what new model he could buy, when the screen lit up.

It was a message.

From Ema.

"Well, well, _well_," Fuuto almost purred, sitting up in bed and opening up the message. "What have we got here, nee-san?"

**To be continued…**

Hello! *pokes her head around the corner* OMG It´s been so long since I last updated, I know you all want to kill me, so feel free to do it… XD

I have so much to say, but if I do it´ll be like two full pages of author notes, so let´s just say this: PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT UPDATING BEFORE! I´m sorry. ToT I do hope you all enjoy this chapter and that you keep up with the story. I don't know how long it´ll take, but I will finish it. I SWEAR

Also, 200 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank, thank you all so much! I never thought it´d made it this far. Really, you guys have no idea how grateful and happy I am. Thanks for the support on the story, and I´m glad you´ve enjoyed it up to now. :3 For you guys I´ll keep the chapters coming, I already promised. ;)

P.S. I did do my research on Japanese New Year´s traditions and also how to cope after an accident. My apologies if Louis seemed terribly OOC in this chapter and about his hair… we both wanted a new look for him and that seemed like the sanest reason to do it. Also, Renavelia, it´s awesome to have you back! And Tuliharja, Kazuhiko ended up falling from the tree LOL.


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